We Are One
by CheetahGirl69
Summary: A tale of the Signless as he grows and learns. Future romance with the Disciple, companionship with the Psiioniic, and the maternal nature of the Dolorosa. Rated M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

As a young troll the Signless was sheltered. Hidden from a dark world where one would be tested as an infant for survival, but he was protected by his beautiful jade guardian, the Dolorosa. With the gentle turn of her hand she would stroke the boys' dark hair and tell him wondrous stories, stories of a world where everyone was equal and life was truly beautiful; where he didn't have to stay locked away from the world in case his blood color was discovered. But he knew this is not how the world really was. A smart woman, the Dolorosa educated him on the dangers; little by little he learned more. Although the Signless didn't understand why exactly it was other people didn't accept his blood, he knew he had to keep it hidden. He understood a lot, but he disagreed with it as well.

"I don't understand why they don't like my blood color!" The Signless began to shout one day after asking to go out alone. He is still small, roughly three sweeps old.

"My darling, other trolls don't recognize something special when they see it." She crooned softly, gently petting his hair. "Maybe you can change that someday."

The Signless promptly put on his best pouting face to counter her, but she only smiled and kissed his forehead. "I'll tell you what." She began. "I'll let you go out on your own-" The Signless gasped and looked up at her with wide eyes, a smile ear to ear.

"Really?"

"As long as you stay close to home and collect some firewood while I'm out." The Dolorosa finished with a smile.

"Yes!" The Signless ran to the far side of their cave, the place the Dolorosa made into a home when she found him as a grub knowing she could not return with him, and grabbed his hooded cape like robe. He ran back to her and she lifted the hood over his head. Placing her hands on his shoulders she added one last thing.

"Come straight home is anything goes wrong."

"Yes mama."

"Stay safe, my child." She said lastly before giving him a gentle push toward the exit of the cave. The Signless grinned back at her before taking off into the underbrush.

The Signless took his time. He would collect firewood on his return, but for now he just wanted to taste the freedom. He ran around trees and climbed over rocks. He lay in the grass and stared at the clouds. He also carefully kept track of where he was going in case he needed to make a fast retreat.

The dense Alternian woods were truly a wonder. Trees of all colors sprang up from the ground, streams ran across the land (and the Signless really enjoyed crossing these), and fluffy clouds floated across the skies. The green and pink moons were peaking over the tips of the trees and for the first time he could really enjoy their sight. To get a better look, the troll boy began to scale the tree.

The top was absolutely beautiful. You could see the forest expand in every direction, the mountains in the distance, and the moons. Oh, the moons from this view were quite possible the greatest thing the Signless had ever lay his grey eyes on. They were magnificent. He became entranced in them, so much that he did not hear the other troll.

She was small and nimble in olive tinted rags. Long wild tangled hair was ratted down her back as she gazed up to the troll who must have been around her age. She smiled; she hadn't seen any troll her age for the longest time. She hadn't seen any trolls any age for the longest time, really. So she stealthily climbed the tree. When she was just a branch or two below him she decided to greet him. "Hello?" She spoke with the trace of a purr behind it. The way the boy jumped at her appearance was so violent it made the girl jump as well. The boy fell from the tree and the girl watched helplessly, if slightly amused. She climbed down as fast as she could to find him lying on the ground, okay but a scrape here or there.

"Are you okay?" She asked, holding out a hand for him to take. She gave a slight smile but he looked up at her with the most terrified expression she had ever seen. His mouth opened like he wanted to scream but no noise came out. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

He considered her. The only troll he had ever seen other than his mom. She was, well, grubby. Although he and the Dolorosa lived in a cave, she made sure that he was always scrubbed clean. But this girl was dirty down to the last hair. Dirt covered her nails, was smudged across her face, tangled in her hair. Her wild knotted hair. But she had that kind smile and those wide friendly eyes. Perhaps he could trust her, at least long enough to evaluate her. It would be nice to have a friend.

So he took her hand, afraid for her reaction when she realized that the blood smudged on her hand was brighter than rust. The girl pulled him to his feet, giggling a bit.

"Sorry for scarring you." She said, her voice rather high pitched and girlish. She was a few inches taller than him. The Signless could see her eyes narrow a bit when she noticed this difference. "Your blood, it's so much brighter than-"

He broke her hold on his wrist and bolted the direction of his cave.

"Wait!" She called after him, running. He was panting very hard and the fall made his muscles sore, so he didn't get far. Soon he was keeled over in the underbrush gasping for air. The sound of footfalls behind him alerted the Signless of the girl trolls presence.

"Why did you run away?" She panted.

"Because I'm different…" He gasped out between short breaths.

"There's nothing wrong with being different." The girl said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling, and the Signless could have sworn that he saw the same genuine kindness in her face that he saw in his moms. So he smiled back.

**Alright! First chapter down! Let's see where this takes us, eh? I know I'm not that great of a writer but I think I'll have fun with this one. Cheetah Girl out!**


	2. Chapter 2

The olive girl could see a hint of trust form behind his eyes, just a slight chance of hope lingering behind it.

"You're not like the trolls my mom told me about…" He said slowly, still unsure of her. The Signless stood with her help and wiped his scraped hands on his clothes. She looked at him sadly.

"I guess I'm different like you." She said quietly. He glanced back at her now, a trace of a smile on his lips. "There's a stream nearby, we can wash your cut if you want."

He nodded and began to follow her. It was quite a short walk, just a few yards away really. The Signless crouched beside the running water and held his hands above the surface. A dozen tiny fish scattered when he plunged them in, and it was a relief to feel the cool cleansing rush of it. The girl climbed onto a nearby rock and watched him rub his hands.

"What's your name?" She asked happily.

"You can just call me the Signless. I don't have a sign like others." He glanced up barley able to make the loopy sign etched on the girls' shirt beneath the layer of dirt. He returned to his hands. "What are you doing out here in these woods? There aren't supposed to be any other trolls for miles." The ruby blood asked in wonder. At least that was what his mother had always told him.

"I live out here." She said simply, now dipping her toes in the water. Signless withdrew his from the stream and sat back, looking up at her.

"Really? Where?"

"Everywhere!" She giggled.

"How do you live?" He looked at her in wonder; she really couldn't be much older than him.

"I just hunt for myself. It's not that hard, I've done it as long as I can remember!" This girl really did smile a lot.

"Wow." He said, finally returning a full grin. "This is my first time out by myself."

She blinked in surprise. "Your first?" The Signless nodded and she shook her head in wonder.

"My mom has always wanted to protect me. She says that if anyone saw my blood color that I would be taken away. But she says they're wrong. She says I should always keep my dreams alive regardless of other trolls. And I think she's right. It's not fair for me to have to stay locked away my whole life!" The Signless ranted. The olive girl just watched and listened in wonder.

"Sorry." He said, seeing her face.

"No, I like listening to you!" Her fangs were exposed in a smile as wide as Signless had ever seen. He smiled in return.

He continued his tale, telling her the stories of the brave trolls who stood up for others and themselves, leading revolutions and changing the world. He spoke of how he one day dreamed to be like them and follow in their footsteps.

"Wow! If you were a big leader like that I would totally follow you, I would be like a disciple to you!" She spoke in wonder, eyes large and adoring.

"Alright then, my Disciple, we can change the world together." He grinned at her and she giggled in return.

"I learned all this from my mom though, she's the one who told me all these stories in the first place, and she's all I've ever known." He lay back on the ground, head in his hands. Suddenly his eyes snapped open.

"My mom!" Signless jumped to his feet and quickly gathered up a few stray sticks.

"What's wrong, Signless?" She sat up and watched as he scampered around.

"I'm supposed to be getting firewood!" The pile of twigs he now had in his arms were nowhere near firewood material. "If she finds out I ran into another troll I'll be in huge trouble!"

The olive girl jumped down and began picking up sticks as well. He grabbed them from her hands and thanked her before running off into the brush. The girl just frowned and looked at her feet; she was so excited to have a companion and now he was gone just like that. He has truly been wonderful too, his stories were fantastic and he had a kind heart. She wanted to listen to him more, to learn from him and his ideas. It was a bit disappointing. But moments later there was a rustle from where he had run off and his shaggy head was popping out to meet hers. Their eyes caught and it was silent a moment.

"Can we meet up tomorrow here?" Signless asked hopefully. The girl broke into a grin again and shook her head yes excitedly. The boy nodded in return and ran off again, leaving the girl with hopes of seeing him again. Happily she climbed a tree and looked the moons she had caught the boy staring at earlier. There really was a certain beauty to them that she had not taken the time to notice until now.

Signless tripped through the trees and grabbed sticks and logs of all sorts as he scrambled to get home. He had been out far too long talking with that girl, he realized he had never asked her name, and his mother would surely be angry by now. As he came closer to his home Signless slowed his pace, bursting in might put his guardian in a panic. So he calmed his breath and held the wood in his arms as he trumped forward, soon entering a clearing with a cave. He saw the Dolorosa standing at the entrance with a worried look on her face. But he soon caught her eye and relief spread across her features. She welcomed him back with open arms.

"Any troubles?" She asked, smoothing his hair down.

"No mama." He stretched out on his tip toes and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You were gone quite a while, I was beginning to worry."

"I was just admiring the moons for a while, I guess I lost track of time."

"Very well, my child. I'll take those from you." She held out her arms and he placed the wood in it, slightly embarrassed by the poor quality of it. "We really must work on your firewood collecting skills though." She added with a smile. Signless gave a little laugh along with his mother as they entered the cave together.

It was a nice cave, really. Secluded deep in the Alternian forest, it remained hidden from the world. On the outside it looked like a real cave, but on the inside a normal troll may confuse it with a hive. There were decorations and paintings, rugs and furniture, all sorts of things the Dolorosa had accumulated for the two of them over the years. They mostly lived off of plants around the area, but occasionally the disguised Dolorosa would make her way back into a small town and shop for supplies or food. But medicines and food were mostly provided by the land around them. Their clothes were all hand sewn by the Dolorosa; there were fresh picked flowers in various spots around the home, blankets hand stitched as well as some of the furniture. The paintings on the walls were either created by the Dolorosa or the Signless. A fire located in the center provided heat as well as a cooking place and light source, but on especially cold nights the Sufferer would find himself snuggled up with his mom under a heap of blankets not too far from the flames.

The Jade blood began to tend the flames and add pieced of the collected wood to it. It stirred and flickered as the Signless's thoughts wandered back to the strange girl he met. He didn't have anything to call her, so he settled on Disciple as she had referred to herself as earlier. So the Disciple lived out there all by herself. Signless couldn't fathom what it would be like not to have his mom, let alone no one. So he hoped that he would be able to see her again tomorrow for both their sakes. His mother was now next to him holding out a cooked vegetable. He took it gingerly from her and began to take little bites, still thinking of the Disciple.

"Where is your mind, son?" The Dolorosa asked. She was eating her own food next to him. "You're not very talkative tonight. How was your time on your own?"

He wanted to tell her about the girl, but he feared that he would be forbidden to see her again so he just shook his head.

"It was nice, the land is very beautiful." He spoke softly.

"Indeed it is." She said in return.

Night had fallen completely now and wind began to howl at the cave entrance, warning them of a storm. Signless felt his stomach fall; the Disciple was still out there. He frowned and set his food down.

"Are you not very hungry?" The Dolorosa asked. She was beginning to feel concerned; her son did not normally act this way.

"No, I'm just tired right now." He said in a resigned tone that spoke the truth. His mother nodded in understanding.

"Wash up then, I'll ready your bed."

Signless proceeded to a far corner of the cave where a woven basket waited, filled with fresh water. He scooped some into his hands and scrubbed his face. He then took off his cape robe cloth and folded it neatly next to the basin. The boots came off next and the wind howled even more. He stumbled over to his bed now, truly exhausted. It was already ready for him near the fire. His mother was standing near the mouth of the cave and surveying the weather, so he crawled inside hoping that his body heat would warm the woven blankets quickly. She returned to him, sitting on her own bed near his and stroked the Signless's hair.

"Once upon a time there was a young troll, not unlike you. But he was trapped was beneath the earth, and no matter how much he screamed and fought and yelled no one else could hear time. But above land there was legend of this poor troll's imprisonment. No one was brave enough to free him though for there were perilous tasks guarding his cell. But there was one troll who didn't care of the worry ahead; in fact, this troll was willing to risk it all for a man she didn't even know because she knew that that's what was right. So she prepared herself, restless training until the day she was ready. And on that day she traveled to the entrance of his prison. A guard stood and warned her, this task was much too dangerous for a troll like her. But she forced him to step aside and descended into the darkness. The first task was a mighty beast, a brute. It was so strong that it used to carry mountains on its back. There was no way that the troll's strength could match that of the beasts, so she tried something else. She noticed that the beast's eyes looked puny and weak, so she grabbed her arrow and shot them straight out, leaving the monster blind. Enraged, the beast slashed and flung about while the troll snuck by it to the next chamber without it even noticing.

The next task was just two doors. One would lead to the troll, the other certain death. But the girl outwitted even that trap and moved on. The third chamber was a spirit. It spit flames at her, not just burning her body but burning her soul. It manipulated her attempting to change her goal to reach the troll. It inflicted self doubt, worry, hate, and many other soul scarring things. But the young troll stood up against this spirit without a doubt in her mind and told it exactly what she planned to do; to free the troll from injustice. The spirit blew away into dust as she said this, for she was so sure of herself that nothing could deter her. Finally she reached the chamber where the troll was locked away and set him free. The two returned to the surface and lived as lifelong friends. The end."

The Dolorosa planted a kiss on his forehead and bid the Signless goodnight before stirring the fire for the last time and crawling inside her own bed. As the Signless closed his eyes and drifted off, he couldn't help but think of the girl in the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

The rain had stopped sometime in the night and the morning ground was damp with the water. The Signless stretched in his bed and yawned, slowly peeling his eyes open for the new day. Everything came back to him now, the girl (or Disciple he guessed) and everything that had happened with her. He thought of how she had to stay out in the cold rain all night all by herself and frowned.

The Dolorosa sat behind him and began to comb out his hair using a brush she had fashioned from wild lusus needles.

"Would you like to go to town with me today?" She asked conversationally, this was a big deal, even bigger than her letting him go in the forest alone yesterday. "It's a long journey, but I think you can handle it now."

"I would love to, mother!" Signless chirped happily. He felt like he could fly right out of the cave because of his elation. Fully awake now he skipped over the water basin and washed his face.

"We'll give you a bath first." She said, grabbing a blanket and the Signless' clothing. "Let's go down to the river."

He stopped splashing the water onto his face and walked behind him. They lived close to the river so water was an easy access. He began to strip of his clothing, a tight black suit that went from his ankles to his armpits and lined with bits of red, and handed them to his mother where she hung them from a tree branch. The Dolorosa slipped off her black and green dress and hung it on another branch containing her clothes. The two trolls waded out into the very cold stream, shivering the whole time. The Dolorosa scrubbed herself quickly before turning to the Signless and scrubbed his back where he couldn't reach.

"Make sure you get behind your ears." She said. The boy scrubbed them as well and they both climbed out of the river as fast as possible. The Dolorosa handed her son a blanket to dry himself off with before wrapping herself in one as well. They both dried and dressed quickly. The Signless pulled his black suit back on before placing his hooded cape like robe on as well. While he was strapping on his boots he watched his mother add an additional article of clothing to her usual outfit of a jade and black dress, a hooded cape not unlike his own. She quickly packed their items away into the cave and returned to him with a basket in her arms.

"What's in there?" Signless asked.

"Some food for when we're hungry and sewing supplies, my dear." She replied.

They began to walk in the direction of the nearest town. "Why are you bringing sewing stuff?" He inquired.

"While we're there I'm going to stitch trolls some new clothes to earn a little money and buy the things we need."

"Oh." The Signless answered. Then a thought occurred to him, when his mom left for town it was usually for the full day, but sometimes it lasted longer.

"How long are we going to be there?" They stepped lightly over a fallen tree.

"A day or two. Hopefully not anymore than that, I don't like being in town very long."

The Signless' stomach fell. He thought of the Disciple and how she would be waiting for him to return to her. Would she think he abandoned her? The thought made him feel awful.

"Now, Signless, when we get there I want you to stay very close to me. There will be other trolls there, mostly low bloods, but occasionally a high blood stops by. I don't want them to figure out what you are so we need to keep you disguised. Do you understand?"

"Yes mama." He sighed. What was the worse these trolls could do? He shrugged it off and began to talk with his mom about the town, what it was like, how other trolls were, all sorts of things. The Jade blood and her son continued through the forest.

The olive girl sat on the very same rock she sat on the previous day with the strange boy. The night had been cold and wet, but not any colder or wetter than other rainy nights she had experienced. So now the Disciple sat, pondering over when the Signless would show up again. She began tugging at a particular bad tangle in her hair when she remembered one of the stories he had told her. It was of a beautiful troll girl and her wicked lusus who locked her away in a tower. Soon the troll's mane grew out so large that when a strong troll boy came to her rescue she just hung her head out the tower and he climbed all the way up. She looked at her own hair and thought about how funny it would be to have the Signless climb up it. It almost seemed long enough. She giggled at the though and lay back on the rock before falling into a cat nap.

Hours had passed and the sun was beginning its descent from the sky. The Dolorosa and her son peaked out from a bush into the small town down the hill.

"Remember to stay with me." She whispered. He nodded his head, full of excitement to see all the other trolls.

He followed his mother down the hill at her heels and they stepped into the area, it was the most bizarre thing the Signless had ever seen. Hives and buildings all popping out of the ground, strange trinkets it windows and food he had never seen before. Trolls with great long horns, some curved, and some were straight. The hues of blood color ranged from a darker red than his own to a color just like his moms. He stared in wonder at the stature of some but remained by his mother's side.

They entered one of the buildings and his mother began to speak with a large male troll working there. He was hulking with muscle, a beard masked his face and his horns curved downward. A rigid looking sign was played into his uniform. His bronze eyes turned down to look the Signless in his grey ones.

"What are you lookin' at, puny?" He grunted. The Signless shifted to stand behind his mother. The Dolorosa glared at the troll.

"There's no need to treat him like that." She said sharply. The troll just grunted. The two adults returned to their discussion of where she could set up her sewing station. The Signless just watched from behind his mother

The Dolorosa placed a hand on her sons back and crooned for him to follow her, so they left the shop and the bronze troll behind. The Signless was a bit glad to leave the brute.

The two sat on the street corner now and the Dolorosa set to work. With the flick of her wrist and the pull of a needle she was off to work creating wonderful pieces of attire for the townsfolk. Some stopped to watch momentarily. Others browsed what had been finished already. A few bought a hat or a scarf. The Signless watched each troll in wonder, never saying a word. A few hours had passed and he gently pulled on his mother's sleeve.

"Yes sweetie?" She asked, not taking her eyes from her work.

"I need to go… you know." He whispered into her pointed ear.

She quietly instructed him to go back into the forest and do his business there. He nodded and stood.

The forest was quiet and the Signless quickly relieved himself. It really was fantastic to see this town. All the trolls seemed kind, if some a little hostile. Most of them seemed weak, some more so than others. But one common thing behind everyone's eyes that the sufferer could see was fear. He recalled his mother's stories of those more worthy, those with more pure blood, and how they prosecuted those of lower ranking. This town consisted of the lowest of the low. Could it be they were being directly oppressed? The Signless pondered this as he returned down the hill. His mother was stationed a few streets in so he began to make his way to her. He took time to really look at the trolls now. He saw some in alley ways, cowering and shaking, only a rag to cover themselves. Others were terribly scarred or missing parts of their horns. The Signless pitied them, unable to grasp what made these trolls so hated.

As he walked through an alley way it happened. He was pinned against the side of a building by his shoulders. A troll who must have been a sweep or two older than him was holding him there; he was too scared to fight it. He looked down into the Signless' eyes with their own red and blue, but what the Signless saw was not hate or anger, it was the eyes of a scared young troll. Their face was contorted into a grimace and their teeth were long and broken. He could see gold blood dripping from a cut above their eye signifying there place on the hemospectrum.

"Give me your money." The troll growled, voice cracked.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any-" He said fearfully.

"Then give me your coat." The troll said too quickly.

"Is that what you need?" He asked quietly.

The troll stopped, his face seemed a bit surprised. It went back to anger. "What do you mean?"

"I can help you." Signless said, and he really did want to help this poor troll boy who had almost nothing. The trolls face was shocked, his grip relaxed. "Here." He said as he took off his hooded cape and handed it to the troll. "I'll be right back."

The troll stood frozen in place holding the grey cape while the Signless ran off. When he reached his mother she was so engrossed in her work that she did not notice him as he grabbed a handful of food from the basket they had brought. The Signless grasped the fruit and ran back to the troll, now sitting against the wall and holding their head in their hands. The Signless held it out to them.

The golden boy glanced up slowly, thick yellow tears running down his face. The Signless kneeled next to him and handed over the fruit. The boy dug his teeth in and took a great bite. Signless took a moment to look him over.

The attack made him look older than he must really be, the troll was long and lanky but probably only a sweep or less older. His dark hair spiked up a tiny bit in the back and his golden clothes were ripped in places and covered with dirt. He had two sets of horns, one slightly smaller than the other. His teeth seemed longer than usual and a bit crocked, a few missing. The most significant thing were his eyes though.

"Thankth…" The boy whispered, barely a whisper. It was obvious he was ashamed of himself. The Signless just shook his head and took back his cape. Instead of putting it back on he ripped a strip from the end before handing it back to the troll. He then took the strip and wrapped it around the trolls' forehead, covering the cut.

"Signless." He said, holding out his hand to shake. The other troll hesitated.

"Psiioniic." The boy said finally, reaching out to return the shake. The Signless smiled and the Psiioniic returned a crooked one. The sun fell behind the hills in the distance.


	4. Chapter 4

They ate in silence. The sun long set long ago, now lost in time the Psiioniic wrapped the grey cape around himself covering the tattered brown clothes. The gold blood that had been dripping down his face earlier began to dry and turn to a brownish color, the strip covering his forehead seeping with the liquid. The small amount of food was now gone, consumed entirely by the gold boy. The Signless' stomach began to rumble, he only eaten half of a fruit and left the rest for the poor starving boy. It became increasingly louder until the Psiioniic looked up to him.

"Signless, did you eat?" He asked timidly. The Signless' eyebrows shot up detecting the change in his speech. When they had first spoken he had heard a distinctive sort of accent in which his s's were slurred in a strange way.

"What happened to your accent?" He inquired harmlessly. However the boys hand immediately shot up to cover his mouth. The Signless frowned.

"Th-there'th nothing wrong with the way I thpeak!" He said defensively.

"See, there it is again." The Signless pointed to the boy. "I didn't mean there was anything wrong with it. I was just wondering where that accent is from."

"Well it'th…it's not an accent." The Psiioniic put a great amount of concentration into his sentence. The accent- or whatever it was- disappeared again. The Signless watched in wonder

"It's called a lisp, because of my teeth." He opened his mouth to a gaping hole so the Signless could see the forked tongue and extremely crooked teeth. When he shut his mouth again he noticed some stuck out . "I mostly have control of it, but it still comes back sometimes…" A light yellow flush subtly rose to the boys cheeks as he gazed at his grubby feet.

"Oh." The Signless said with eyes alight. What an interesting thing!

Psiioniic glared daggers at the boy. The red boy's face fell a bit, confused by the gold boys anger. His long lanky arm shot into the air and his crooked mouth formed words again. "But tho what if I have a lithp!"

"There's nothing wrong with it." Signless said calmly with a smile. The boy slowly smiled back.

"Signless! Signless!" A woman's voice cried out filled with panic and terror. The boy in question began to stand upon recognition of his mother's voice. The gold boy shrunk back into the shadows of the alley as Signless began to walk to it's opening. The woman whipped around the corner to face the boy and fell to her knees, drawing him in to a hug.

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again!" She whispered into his ear as he held him close to her. The Signless clutched her back with guilt. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back to look at him face to face. The Signless could see a trace of jade tears shed moments before.

"Why are you crying?" He whispered back, taking a finger and wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"I thought I had lost you. Why didn't you come back?" He eyebrows descended, showing traces of anger.

"I was helping someone-"

"I told you not to speak with anyone!" She spoke with more clarity, a fire of fear behind her shaky voice.

"He really needed it though!" Signless pleaded. Withdrawing from his mother he shrank back into the shadows where the other troll waited. With a gentle grasp of his hand, Signless lead the Psiioniic into the dim light to face the Dolorosa. The golden boy seemed to cower under her stare. He did not entirely understand why this strange woman was so kind to this troll boy. Usually the adult trolls could not care less for those of his age. But the kindness had shown in her face as she took the boy in. His tattered clothes, his broken teeth, and his cut head.

She opened her arms to him immediately. "I cannot be angry with you for helping him, my child. You deliberately disobeyed me but it was for reason rather than spite. I can't blame you for your kindness." She gently ran a hand over the boys head, grazing the cut. He winced at the pressure on the bloody wound. "Why don't we clean you up."

The three trolls walked through the town in a discreet fashion. More trolls were out now and things were much rougher. A scuffle could be heard a street over and Signless clutched his mothers dress in comfort. Soon they arrived at the forest. Psiioniic looked nervous; he glanced from tree to tree as if expecting the Jade blood to turn on him at any moment.

The made it to the river. The Signless sat himself down to watch as the Dolorosa took the boy down to the very edge of the stream. She carefully unwrapped the bandage from his head and set it on the ground. A new piece was ripped from the gray coat and dipped in the cold water. Dolorosa began carefully dabbing and cleaning the wound, few winces were heard through the near silence of the woods.

The moons shown high overhead. An olive girl crouched in a scraggly bush, posing for a pounce. White whiskers twitching, a wild lusus jackrabbit devoured a stray flower amongst dirt. The girls muscles tightened. On the edge of her toes, the rabbit suddenly sat up straight. Three sniffs at the air and they were off. The rabbit dodged between trees and rocks, the troll following close behind. She maneuvered her body to bounce off a tree, launching at the creature. A sharp yelp echoed through the trees, a few birds flew into the air.

Now the olive girl sat, a dead rabbit in her hand. It's neck broken, the warm body lay limp. She licked her lips; her hunger would be satisfied soon.

The wound was cleaned and dressed and the three trolls were on their way back to the town. Thoughts of the Disciple wandered away and were replaced with the boy at hand now with the strange eyes. The Dolorosa was in deep conversation with him now, he spoke of his home and how he worked for a large Olive troll who abused his "powers". Then some high bloods stormed the workhouse and destroyed everything; his home, his possessions, his master. He had just made it into this town a few days ago looking for a way to survive, which mostly included mugging weaker trolls than he. Of course he was not proud of this but it was a last resort. The Signless found this fascinating.

They were nearly back into town when a towering figure stepped into view. "Well well well, what have we here?" A voice sneered into the darkness. The Dolorosa immediately stepped in front of the two boys in a protective manner. The large cobalt troll snickered.

"Step aside, woman, it's the mutant I want. My my, he is a slippery one." Psiioniic shrank behind her even more, the Signless glanced at him in concern.

"Leave this child alone." She snapped back at the troll. He glowered back at her and placed a strong hand on her shoulder which she immediately shook off.

"You have no business with this, step aside before I squash you like a bug." His fangs were bared. He raised his hand again but she smacked it away. There was a snarl and she was shoved back. A fire rose in the Signless' belly, a fury like non other than before. How dare this man lay a finger on your mom? He was about to do…something. He really didn't know what, but he was going to do something, but the Psiioniic was on him first. The Dolorosa pulled herself back up, ready to fight when a streak of red, blue, and purple flashed by her. Then the entire forest was filled with this light, blazing like lightning.

The troll was down, burns grazing his body. He groaned and lolled his head on the ground. Psiioniic was panting and laying on the ground as well. The fire that was there moments ago completely burned out, sweat across his brow. The Dolorosa quickly grabbed the boy and half dragged him away from the scene with the Signless tagging along behind. The cobalt troll was left on the ground as the group absconded back to the town, jade, gold, and ruby.

**Wow, sorry for the wait. This chapter came out kind of awkward, but hopefully it can pick up again soon. The ending ended up being kind of rushed and I'm not very happy with it, but it will have to do for now. Hopefully I can crank out the next chapter sooner this time. Growl Power! Cheetah Girl OUT**


	5. Chapter 5

The three trolls ran back to the edge of the forest where the trees ended in a line and down the slope lay the small town. The lights were all on now and many trolls were out and about, their night begun. The Dolorosa leaned down to the boys again.

"Wait here. Don't let anyone see you, and if they do run. Run as far as you can." She spoke quickly. She laid a hand on the Psiioniic's shoulder and placed a kiss on her sons head. Then she swept down the hell into the town.

"Your guardian is... incredible." The Psiioniic whispered into the Signless's ear as the boy let himself slide down a nearby tree. There was a very slight blush on his face and crookedness to his smile. The Signless raised his eyebrows at the boy. What was he implying?

"Yes, she is." He nodded. "She raised me since I was a wriggler."

"How strange." Psiioniic mused aloud. The Signless glared a bit into the darkness.

"Yes, how very strange it is for someone in our world to show love and affection for someone." His words were bitter, full of anger and frustration.

"I didn't mean for it to be a bad thing." The gold troll shrugged. After that they sat in silence, waiting.

The Dolorosa slunk back into the town, covered by the shadows. She avoided the streets that were more brightly lit and stuck to alley ways. Soon she was back at the small shop; more trolls were inside now compared to earlier when there had been no one but herself, her son, and the shopkeeper. The other customers mostly ignored her as she entered, a few turned to look at her. A particularly slimy looking rust blood female grinned at her, though it almost seemed like more of a grimace. The jade blood turned away from her and slinked up to the counter where the bronze troll stood inspecting a piece of gold. She cleared her throat just loud enough for him to hear, although he ignored her.

"Excuse me," The Dolorosa spoke quietly. The Troll eyeballed her now.

"You're back." He sneered at her, a hair arm placing the gold under the counter.

"I'm here for the exchange we agreed upon." She tried to stay right with the point, needing to flee as fast as possible.

"Ah, so you didn't get to sell all your little fabrics?" He licked his lips.

"I'm afraid something came up."

"Alright, hand 'em over." The Dolorosa reached into her bag and pulled out her finished scarves, hats, and coats. In turn the bronze troll reached below the counter and slid a sack across the counter.

"Thank you." She said, quickly scooping up the sack into her back and fleeing the premises. A pair of rust eyes followed her out the door.

Finally the Dolorosa returned to the two troll boys. They stood up to greet her but she just motioned them to keep moving forward with her. They immediately followed her into the night. A ways into the forest the Dolorosa turned, hopeful they were out of sight of prying eyes. She turned to the boys.

"Psiioniic, I have to thank you for saving us back there. That was a very heroic thing to do." The Psiioniic blushed. "But you're obviously wanted, so we have two options." The Psiioniic felt his stomach drop; they knew of his notoriety and would abandon him to save their selves. He didn't blame them.

"You can take this gold," The Dolorosa held up the sack she had received earlier. "And go off on your own." The Psiioniic eyed the bag.

"Or you can stay with us." Her eyes were large and inviting. The sack was grasped in one hand, the other wrapped around her sons shoulder. The Signless raised his arm as an offering to the gold boy. Psiioniic stood in wonder.

"We might need to get going soon though," Signless added watching the woods the direction of the town. Psiioniic nodded.

"We better get going then." He added, looking up the the Dolorosa with wide blue and red eyes. She smiled at him and placed an arm behind his back pushing him onward. They would walk through the dense forest, seeking their home. The Dolorosa knew the way very well, she traveled it so many times. The Signless and Psiioniic would have been hopelessly lost without her guidance. Many miles in the small group sat among the foliage and ate what food was left. Their eyes lidded and feet sore, but they could not rest yet. So they would push on until finally The Signless began recognizing the trees around him. Moments later the trio stepped into the small clearing.

"Is this it?" The Psiioniic spoke, exhaustion in his voice. Signless only nodded. The sun began to peak over the tree tops. Dolorosa lead them inside.

"Psiioniic, you may rest in my bed. Signless, will you help prepare yourselves for sleep? You both did such a good job." The two boys nodded and Signless motioned for Psiioniic to follow him. Dolorosa disappeared out of the cave mouth.

The ruby troll lead the gold troll to the far side of the cave where the half empty water sat in a woven bowl.

"This is what we use to wash our faces in the mornings and at night." He gestured to it. "We'll probably need to refill it tomorrow; you can help me with that. And if you need to _go_ just find a nice spot out in the woods. We keep our clothes over here," Signless waved to a spot not too far from where they stood now. He then turned to look Psiioniic over. "I'm sure my mom will make some new ones for you." The Psiioniic let out a small laugh and Signless smiled.

"There's a bunch of other stuff you can do in here too, being stuck in a cave all the time can be boring so you got to find ways to entertain yourself. Here's a bunch of papers and paints and brushes so you can paint pictures or write stories. There's also some ones that my mom wrote already if you want to read them."

"And I got these cool pieces of wood we can carve. So far I've only made a deer turtle lusus." He held out the small piece of wood which did not look like a turtle at all. Psiioniic made a false smile at it to show his approval.

"Anyway, we have many things to do, and I can show you more tomorrow but right now I am really tired." Signless rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"I am as well." Psiioniic nodded at him.

The two began to strip to their underclothes and wash their faces. They placed the clothing in a nearby stack neatly before Psiioniic nuzzled into the Dolorosa's bed mat. Signless went over to a stack of wood and began to start the fire. The flames flickered to life and the red troll climbed into his mat as well.

"Thank you." Psiioniic whispered. Signless opened his dropping eyes.

"For what?"

"For everything. You two took me in when I had no where to go. You showed me the most utter kindness and opened your home to me when I did nothing to deserve it. In fact I deserve much much worse after attempting to rob you..."

"Sometimes trolls just need a little kindness." Signless said before drifting off. But Psiioniic lay with his eyes open; exhausted but unable to sleep.

An hour or so later the Dolorosa returned to the cave. Psiioniic pretended to be asleep when she entered and checked on the boys. She returned to her business and Psiioniic watched as she went about it. Each movement was careful and calculated, a thread and string waved into the air. Watching these movements calmed him. Soon he was asleep.

The disciple smelled it before she saw it, the smell of others. She followed the scent until she spotted it, a clearing. Carefully she stepped into it and glanced around. Trees, trees, trees... was that a cave? Oh yes, that is a cave. It wasn't obvious at first, the entrance was shrouded behind some tree branches and other foliage, but it was definitely a cave. Signless had to be inside, she smelled his smell amongst the trees leading to this spot. But he wasn't alone. Was he hurt? She peeked inside.

There was a small fire burning in the center and three bodies were curled around it. Two of them were under some kind of blanket and the other large troll was exposed. The Disciple tip toed inside to look at them closer.

The adult troll was beautiful. Her short dark hair framed her face perfectly, features sharp yet kind. The jade blood looked peaceful in her sleep. This must be the "mom" Her friend spoke of. She moved to the next troll.

It was a boy with teeth that protruded from his mouth at odd angles. His face looked young but terribly worried; Disciple wondered what he was dreaming of.

Finally she looked down at Signless. She quietly sat herself down next to him. Slowly reaching out a hand she stoked his hair ever so slightly, the light touches leaving her warmer than before. He looked calm, young, and ever so handsome. She reached down to stoke his hair one last time.

Signless' eyes snapped open. His heart began to race as he sensed there was someone there, someone who wasn't supposed to be. He sat up and searched with his eyes, but there was no one. Slowly he lowered himself again to his bed, the phantom caress still on his cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

The three trolls slept all the way through the day and the next night. Halfway through the next day their sun burned down on them high in the sky from outside the cave. Signless awoke, squinting at the brightness coming from its opening. The Dolorosa was already up and stitching something again. Signless crawled over to his mother, head achy from sleeping.

"Good morning, child." She said, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "Would you mind preparing some breakfast? I would like to finish this." She held up her work. It was a black and gold fabric being sewn together in patterns of lines resembling the Psiioniic's sign.

"Yes mama." He said.

"Also, could you wake Psiioniic? I need to take his measurements before cutting the fabric."

The Signless stood and slowly walked to the other boy who was still asleep. A few quick shakes to his shoulder woke the boy. The two trolls smiled at eachother.

"What time is it?" Psiioniic inquired.

"Still mid day." Signless replied. "Would you go see my mother? She would like to take your measurements." Then he began to walk to the far side of the cave to grab his tattered and ripped robe. Pulling the hood over his eyes to shield them from the sun he quickly moved out of the cave and to the nearby stream. There were strings tied to a tree that lead down to the moving water. He pulled one out and a box emerged from the icy flow. Inside the sealed box were meats and fruits that had already been collected and stored in the cold river to keep them fresh. He set the box next to the tree, its contents now empty.

Signless returned to the cave where Dolorosa held a long string around Psiioniic's waist. She then removed it and painted a number on the paper beside her. Signless held up the food he had retrieved; lusus meat and some papaya like fruit. Dolorosa nodded and Signless got to work.

Soon there was lusus meat frying in a pan above the fire and papayas cut into equal squares. Signless retrieved three chipped plates and brought them to his mother and companion. The jade blood served the gold troll, the ruby troll, then herself. Moments later the food was gone and there were three very full stomachs.

"I will have your suit finished later, Psiioniic." The Dolorosa spoke before she stood and went back to work on the fabric. The golden boy nodded.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem." She smiled and went back into her rhythmic cutting and sewing motions. Psiioniic watched for a moment before turning to the Signless.

"What would you like to do?" Psiioniic asked him. The Signless shrugged.

"We could clean up a bit." He proposed. Psiioniic nodded. The two boys stood. The slipped their dishes into the basket of water and folded up the sleeping mats. They then carried the woven basket not full of dishes and water out to the stream. Psiioniic squinted in the bright light.

They then sat under the shade of the tree where the box waited to be filled. Signless picked up one of the dishes and so did the Psiioniic. Together they scrubbed them in the flow of the water with their hands, it removed most of the meat juices.

"So, what should I call you mother?" Psiioniic asked.

"Her name is The Dolorosa. I suppose you could call her that." The Psiioniic nodded.

After a moment of silence the Signless spoke again. "Would you like to hear a story?"

"A story?"

"Yes, my mother tells me them all the time."

"Stories are for children." Psiioniic spat.

"Are we not children?"

Psiioniic stopped. "Sometimes it feels that way."

Signless watched him for a moment. The gold troll looked very tired although they had both gotten more than enough sleep the night before. He brushed some hair off of his forehead, the heat cause him to sweat.

"Well, you might as well tell it." Psiioniic emptied the dirty water into the river and sat it back in the grass. He then leaned against the tree and sat alongside the Sufferer. He really did want to hear the story.

So the Signless indulged into a story of two troll lovers. He spoke in rhythms of how they grew together, loved together, and taught each other. The ending was tragic, one troll killed and the other forced to live a life alone with no voice. The Psiioniic frowned. He had hoped for a happier ending. It wasn't over yet though. The troll bargained with death, and in exchange for her life she would be with her lover once more. In the end the two were happy and free. Psiioniic smiled sadly. It had actually been a wonderful story.

"That was sad... yet happy." Psiioniic said. Signless nodded in agreement.

"It's one of my favorite tales." Signless said as he stood and grabbed the basket. He dipped it into the water and held it there for a moment before removing it. It was now filled to the brim with water. The two boys returned to the cave and placed the basket back in its spot. Signless turned to the Psiioniic with a smile. "Would you like to paint with me?" There was a smile and a nod and the boys went to work on their works of art.

Faint footsteps sound in the hall. It arches high, golden pillars decorated with fuchsia drapery. The rust blooded female made her way down the hall, hair long, ratted, and greasy. She sneered at the decor. Stupid highbloods. Finally she arrived at the tall golden doors, guarded by large metal beasts. Altough they looked threatening, they let the low blood through.

"Your majesty," The rust troll cowered before the Condesce. She looked angrier than usual after being told that another mutant had gone missing. "I have found the red mutants guardian."

The Condescention's eyes lit up at the thought. A high blood scribe began writing furiously. "Where?" She spoke loudly and excited. "The ugly red one?"

"Yes, in a town on the outskirts of Dakre. She fled to the woods." The rust blood almost had her nose touching the ground as she bowed. The Condesce was especially enthralled, this one had been off the map for sweeps. "Thank you for your service. You may leave." She spoke loudly, a grin covering her whole face. The rust blood slinked out of the room, disappointed in the lack of reward. Just as she left the room a sack of gold fell to her feet.

"Spend it on something nice, low blood." The Condesce echoed out the door as the troll left the palace in a hurry.


	7. Chapter 7

Time passed slowly, continuing on as it always had. The Signless grew taller, as well as the Psiioniic. The Disciple was still roughly the same height as the Signless bringing them to about eye level. The Dolorosa was as caring as ever, but still didn't know of the wild girl troll living in the woods. Signless had introduced Psiioniic to her and the two trolls had hit it off, now almost every night the three of them play amongst the trees. Of course the jade troll remained wary, ever since the night she had adopted Psiioniic into her little family she had been more on edge. There were rules still; the boys had to stay within certain proximity of their home. Her ears were always open for anything that may signal danger.

But there had been no disruptions yet. It was peaceful in the woods. The trees grew tall and strong. The river like stream was mere yards from the mouth of their cave, fruit was abundant (as well as other things such as wild lusus). Life was good, and the Dolorosa was happy.

Today after completing their chores the two boys went out into the woods to search for their friend. They walked to where she usually waited for them, but there was no sign of the olive troll.

Psiioniic paused in his tracks, listening. Them very quietly he whispered to his friend. "Do you think she's okay?"

"I'm sure she is, Disciple is a tough one." He spoke with an air of confidence, yet his voice was low and soft.

In a flash the Signless was skidding across the ground. The Psiionic jumped at the sudden movement and readied himself for battle, eyes flashing dangerously. But as soon as they saw past the wild amount of hair the two boys realized it was just teh Disciple.

She giggled, feeling very proud of herself. The boy was still pinned to the ground by her small body. Struggling, he let out a playful growl. "Hey! Let me up!" He yelped, laughing all the while. Disciple leaned back a bit, letting the boy to his feet. She remained sitting on the ground.

"Hey guys!" She smiled up at them. "Are you okay, Psii?" She turned to the gold troll. He was looking slightly pale.

"Yeah, Di, You just scared me. I thought we were being attacked." He reached a shaky hand to the back of his head and rubbed it remembering the attack on him long ago. The girl looked very apologetic and when she opened her mouth to speak the Psiioniic just shook his head as if to say it was alright. The Disciple turned to the Signless instead.

"Well I am a mighty hunter." She said simply, her bright hearted laughter filling the air for a moment. The three of them smiled now and took their seats. A small circle was formed between them.

"My mom told us a new story last night." Signless spoke to the girl. She immediately put all of her attention on him. Then with the help of Psiioniic the two boys recreated the story for her. She listened intently, never once interrupting. Her memory was excellent, she remembered every story they told her, every rhyme and rhythm. Every foreshadowing event and word play. All of them danced in her head when she was alone at day. These stories kept her company when her friends couldn't. The Dolorosa had such great concepts as well. Most of the time the two trolls would tell it correctly; although sometimes the Disciple could see them having trouble with parts they couldn't quite remember.

These stories were what the Disciple felt connected her to the Dolorosa. She treasured them with all her heart. It was the only way the Disciple felt she really even knew the woman. It gave her hope, dreams, and ideas. The connection of the story was a strong one and the jade troll didn't even know she existed. But the Disciple was very fond of the woman.

Sometimes when she felt alone she began to scribble out the images from her mind in the dirt. A warrior troll slaying a monster with her cleverness rather than strength, two lovers dying in each others arms, legends of twelve heroes rising as one, and many others.

The story drew to a close and she locked it in her memory. An approving smile was exchanged and the two boys stood. They helped the olive girl to her feet and the three of them began walking away farther into the forest, talking all the while.

This became a regular thing. The three of them would talk and share stories and act out their favorite ones. As the days turned into weeks which turned into months they all grew even more. It was peaceful. It was happy. It was a blissful paradise. The Signless could have stayed like that forever.

But that's not how the story goes.

The Condesce's trolls were working to find them. A small crew had been reaping the hills around them for months, searching for this mutant. They came dangerously close a few times, but they had never quite caught on to their location.

Until one bone dry night.

The sun had just set and night was beginning to break. The Disciple stretched out her body in a very cat like way. She sniffed the air; something was... off.

She reached her nose high into the air, huffing in the charred air. Smoke. The hair on her neck raised, was this a forest fire? She glanced up at the sky with her eyes this time and saw the huge cloud of black smoke above her coming from every direction. Yellow eyes snapped wide awake and a grey body was pumped full of panic.

Of the three of them the Dolorosa was first to wake as usual. She spotted the danger immediately, not far from their cave was a roaring fire. A grim expression took her features; she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Wake up! Wake up!" She yelled to the boys. They slowly raised their heads in a confused way. Suddenly understanding dawned on the Signless's face. Danger. He didn't know what, he didn't know where, he just knew to rely on his mother. Without bothering to grab anything the three trolls bolted from their only home and headed straight for the river. A Huge wall of flames blocked their path. The smoke choked them. Signless coughed, gasping for air. A firm hand closed around the hem of his mothers dress. Psiioniic looked absolutely terrified, so the Signless reached out a hand for him to hold. The boys firmly grasped hands as the unbearable heat beat down on them. Finally the Dolorosa looked down at them after thinking for a moment.

"They are trying to herd us out. We have to go out this way." She pointed directly to the huge flaming wall near them. Signless looked up to his mother, eyes wide with horror. They could never make it through that without serious injuries.

"It's the only way..." Psiioniic coughed in understanding. Then without warning he released the Signless's hand and jumped straight into the flames. The Dolorosa nodded at him, but the boy only looked at his mother with wide eyes. He was just a boy, he had never encountered anything as scary as this before. But his mothers face was so full of reassurance. Just in that look he knew he would be safe.

"You will be safe, my child." She spoke softly through the roar of the flames. They heard a faint yelling from the other side. Signless nodded once and turned to the fire.

It towered over him tenfold. The flames flickered with menace and hate, they spate sparks at him and devoured his beloved trees. He inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the jump. As he made his way toward the flames the amount of smoke caused him to gag and flater. He fell into the flames, heat consuming everything he knew. Oh gods, oh gods he was dead. He was dead. But then there was a hand, a very hot hand indeed grasping his forearm. Then the flames were gone and his mother emerged from them. She stamped out the few flames that had caught on her dress and gazed down at him on the ground. Parts of his hair was singed, as were the Psiioniics and Dolorosas. Ends of their clothing were burned and his skin felt like it still had the tongues of the flame licking him. In actuality he hadn't been in the flames any longer than the other two, but he would have been if it weren't for his gold friend. Signless smiled at the boy in gratitude as they moved to the river.

The Dolorosa was in it first. The two trolls could visible see her shudder at the violent change of temperature; from fire to ice water. She motioned for the other two to follow her. Psiioniic eased himself in next. His face became pale but he wore a relaxed expression. The water soothed any of the slight burns from the fire.

Signless began to slide himself in as well when a thought occurred to him. _The Disciple._

He immediately ripped himself from the water and ran for the flames again. He tripped on a rock and just before he reached the wall of fire an arm grabbed him. It was his mother.

"She's still in there, mom! She's still in there!" He sobbed, barely able to get the words out. He couldn't bare to think of her in that disaster.

"Who? Someone's in there?" She asked, sinking to her knees with her hands on his shoulders.

"My friend, the Disciple, she's in there!" The Dolorosa looked thunderstruck at this information. Another child?

"Stay with Psiioniic." She said shortly before leaping through the flames again. The two boys watched in horror.

The Disciple ran, she ran as hard as her feet could carry her. Trees crashed down around her, half eaten by the fire. It seemed to form a ring, trapping her in. This was no natural fire. Ahead of her she spotted a flame free area and sprinted. As she drew in closer, desperately gasping in poisoned air she saw them. Three hulking blue bloods. But they spotted her too.

Now the four of them ran, the Disciple and four hulking blue bloods. They chased her until she couldn't breath and when she couldn't breath the took refuge in the only thing near her.

A tree.

They kept running after her though, why were they so determined to find her? What did they want from a useless olive blood? She knew how high bloods treated the lower bloods. It disgusted her. They continued on their coarse to find her.

As the flames began to creep uncomfortably close she climbed down from the tree and headed for the cave she had visited once. Walking inside she saw there was no one there, but everything looked untouched. Her stomach fell. What if the Signless and Psiioniic and Dolorosa had been captured because of her? The guilt welled up in her, and with combination of that, the exhaustion of running for her life, and the smoke she had breathed in she became sick on the floor of the cave. What was left of her meal was now on the floor and the Disciple realized that it would be of no use to sit in here while a fire was raging just outside. So she picked herself up and ran.

It seemed like hours later when the Dolorosa erupted from the flames to return to the boys. She looked at them apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I saw no one. But we must go. I'm so sorry." She said as she lowered herself back into the water. The Signless watched the flames for a sign of her, anything. But there was nothing. And soon he was moving downstream, away from his first friend and the only home he ever knew.

The Disciple stopped at the base of a tree, tears running down her face. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her feet bled with cuts from bad footing and burns from wild flames. She slid down the tree and sat at its stump, sobbing and defeated. She would let the high bloods take her, she just couldn't go on.

But as soon as she heard the footsteps of their approach her mind went completely blank and she was back on her feet, this time running for the flames. She dodged through them, leaping over fallen logs and burning brush. As she continued to run the flames increased, as did the heat. She could feel her skin burning as she pushed herself harder and harder, running directly at the greatest flame.

And then she was consumed by it. Fire everywhere, she danced through it. Then it was cold. Very cold.

Lying on the direct other side of the flame was a river and the Disciple had fallen directly into it. The current swept her away but she didn't fight it. She just let the cool rush over her broken and burned body. The attackers were gone for now and the Disciple lay limp in the water, as it swept her North at the fork.

Little did she know her familiars had taken the East fork not an hour before.

_Ha, this was kind of rushed. Sorry for any mistakes I didn't fix, I might go back and fix them later. Ugh, I'm still bad at writing fanfiction. It sure is fun though!_

Thanks to all my readers! I never imagined I would ever get this many reviews on anything ever so it really means a lot to me. If you have any suggestions please just let me know, I love to hear from you.

Thank you everyone! GROWL POWER.

_Cheetahgirl69_


	8. Chapter 8

Sweeps would pass before they meet again. Both parties were unsure if they would ever. So they continued on their ways.

The trio of trolls, Dolorosa, Psiioniic, and Signless would continue their river path; water masking any scent. They would travel for miles, occasionally taking a rest on the banks. But being submerged in water for that amount of time began to wear on them, so they took to the shore. After walking the hills for an even longer time the three came upon a small village, if you could even call it that. It was only four or five little huts, all inhabited by harmless trolls of old age. The group welcomed the young newcomers and even helped them construct a new home. They had no questioning of where they came from, who they were, or why they were there. These trolls only accepted them with open arms claiming that they were much to weary for the strife and hatred. They would rather live out their days in peace.

The Signless was inspired by these trolls. He had always believed these things; the Dolorosa taught him so. The pointlessness of the hemospectrum, the cruelty of the high bloods, he knew of it all. These trolls were really living it though; one of the blue bloods helped repair a bronze bloods fence just the other day.

So he began to train, the Psiioniic too. They trained not only physically, but spiritually. They would sit with the elders and listen to their tales; stories of peace and of hatred. Some admitted to committing some of the foulest crimes, how they didn't care because it was part of their culture. Some told tales of when they themselves were assaulted merely because of their blood caste. The Signless listened to every sentence, every word with the hopes of gaining the wisdom of these trolls.

Then the ruby and gold boys would travel out to the field for their daily physical training. The Signless became strong, his muscles growing. Nothing truly noticeable, for he was a lanky teenage boy. Signless was still rather short for his age but that might have just been because he stood next the Psiioniic on a day to day basis. The other trolls long and even lankier physic bore a stark contrast to Signless when it came to his height. Their training continued, the Signless finding more ways to out smart his opponent rather than over powering. Such as sidesteps, finding their weaknesses, and giving a clear attack to an exposed area. Meanwhile the Psiioniic trained in a more forceful way. His tactics included more of a brash com-right-at-you which might have been more intimidating if it weren't for his stick like figure. He also worked on new ways to manipulate and focus his energy. The two boys grew strong over the sweeps.

At almost nine sweeps old the Signless approached his mother in the cozy hut, the Psiioniic hidden in the shadows not far behind them. She glanced up at her boy.

"Mother, I need to speak with you about something." He began, a trace of nervousness on his face. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I want…to teach." He slid out. It sounded strange on his tongue, yet right. Now she looked at him full in the face.

"Teach?"

"Yes," Signless began. "Ever since I was a boy you always taught me such wonderful and horrible things. You informed me of how our world was, how corrupt and hateful we as a species are. I learned from you what almost no one can teach. How to love, how to forgive, how to feel." He looked deep into her eyes. "And now I am learning it from others too." He motioned behind him, roughly in the direction of their neighboring huts. "These trolls have experienced and learned so much. They understand what you have taught me all these years and I have learned from them as well. Can't you imagine it? The world we have fantasized about my entire life? A world where we can love and forgive and feel, just as you taught me? This is a world I want. This is an opportunity I have. I can make this happen, _we_ can make this happen. The Psiioniic, you, and I can change the world, mom. I want to teach them what you have taught me."

The Dolorosas eyes shimmered with jade tears. They pooled at the lids and as one began to slide down her face the Signless reached out a hand to wipe it away. She smiled up at him.

"I am so proud of you. _So_ proud." She whispered. The Signless smiled and drew her into a hug.

"Thank you." He whispered back.

The next night the Signless and Psiioniic woke up especially early for their first attempt at speaking to the public. It would be dangerous so they would start with a small low blood town not too far from here. The Dolorosa served them breakfast and kissed them both goodbye (a small blush appeared on the Psiioniic's face). And the two boys were off.

"So how are we going to pull this off?" The Psiioniic proposed. The two hadn't exactly formed a plan yet.

"Er, I'm not really sure. Of course we should survey the crowd before we begin so we know who we're dealing with."

The Psiioniic nodded in turn, a small knot twisting in his stomach at the sudden stage fright. But this was no ordinary speech they were trying to pull off; this could land them in a lot of trouble. Death trouble. Psiioniic swallowed the lump in his throat as they made their way through a field bordering the town they were now descending upon.

The streets were dirty to say the least. Trolls would take their waste and just dump it in the alleys between buildings, rendering a horrendous stench. Both cringed at the wall of stink as it hit them. A passerby chuckled.

"You two are obviously new here. You get used to the smell though." The troll walked away laughing.

The Signless glanced at the Psiioniic with his eyebrows raised. The other mirrored his expression. Then they made their way farther into town.

There was a small market in the center, all sorts of businesses open and selling their goods. Some desperate, some at ludicrous prices. The boys stepped into the midst of it all. Signless took a moment to prepare himself. He took a deep breath in, which caused him to gag on the smell. Recovering from the coughing he tried again, this time with more success.

"Ladies and Gentletrolls, may I have you attention?" He called out, feeling embarrassed moments after for his choice of words. A few passerbyes turned to look but most completely ignored him. Faltering a bit the Signless grasped for words to fill the small opportunity. It was now or never.

"Aren't you tired of all…_ this_?" He began. A few trolls raised their brows, some others lost interest and walked away. Signless could feel the sweat beading on his brow. A sharp blow was felt in his side as the Psiioniic jabbed him with his elbow to continue. He shot a quick glare over his shoulder at the golden troll who only shrugged in return. Signless returned to his extremely small crowd.

"You are forced to live in a place like this, with excrement literally clogging up the streets, just because of what you were born as. Low bloods." Some other trolls perked up their ears to listen.

"W-while the high bloods are sitting up on their pedestals… what gives them the right? Are we not trolls? If you cut us, we bleed regardless of the color. Does this make us any lesser? The answer is no. NO." The Signless continued. More trolls were watching now. Some in wonder, others in fear. Some began to look angry even.

"Who says we deserve this?" The Signless shouted to the crowd, the group dead silent. Then a gravely voice shouted from the back.

"Who says we deserve the _honor_ of listening to you?" The sarcasm clear in his voice. A few trolls laughed. Others looked frightened. Signless faltered. "Do you expect us to have some revolution against the high bloods? Ha!"

"I- uh…" He stumbled over his words.

"That's not what he was getting at at all!" The Psiioniic shouted at the troll. "If you would let him speak you would find out!"

"I'm not gonna waste my time listenin' to a bunch of wrigglers preach about somethin' they know nothin' about." The troll spat on the ground and walked away. Parts of the crowd cheered him on and the rest dissipated. The Psiioniic growled, eyes flashing dangerously. But the Signless placed a soothing hand on his friends back.

"That guy was such a… UGH!" The boy sputtered, unable to find a proper insult.

"Calm down, my friend. It was only our first attempt. We still have much to learn." The Signless spoke soothingly, relaxing the boys tension. "Why don't we relax for a bit since that was a complete failure." The Signless smiled. Psiioniic rolled his eyes at the optimism but nodded and they walked through the marked.

Trolls jeered at the two as they passed, flinging random insults. Once it became to much the boys slipped into a random building just to get away from it.

Inside the lighting was dim and the air was warm and sticky. The smell was significantly better, it was rather enticing. The room seemed a bit smoky and there weren't many trolls inside. Under a spot light in the center of the room was a troll woman doing fantastic feats to the beat of the music. She remained fully clothed and swayed her hips and flipped her long hair; her back facing the crowd. The Signless and Sufferer quietly took a seat and watched.

She turned and bent backwards, hands touching the ground behind her and body forming an arch. It was revealed that she wore a mask. The boys watched her as she pushed her weight on her hands and softly landed upright again. Now she began to dance with the music, her body contorting in odd and seductive ways. She flipped her wild hair and her movements grew quicker with the drums behind her. She raised her arms above her; slim muscular stomach exposed. She then did three consecutive back flips before slowly raising her arms again and shaking her hips faster and faster. At the climax of the drum song she spun in place and landed in a split position, free from her mask.

The Signlesse's jaw fell while the Psiioniic clapped.

"_Disciple?_"

****

The idea of the Disciple being a dancer was heavily inspired by this lovely comic right here  ?qh=§ion;=&global=1&q=the+dancer+homestuck#/d4gvj7o  
**Thanks for reading, leave any suggestions if you have any. Cheetah sista's 4 LYFE.**


	9. Chapter 9

There was no mistaking it. She was here and she was alive. The Signless felt his throat go dry from pure elation. The sheer happiness he felt at finding his friend again, his first friend. Pins began to prick at the back of his eyes, threatening tears. The Psiioniic had stopped clapping and was leaning forward to get a better look. The girl disappeared behind the curtains onstage and a Jade blood came out to replace her for the next dance.

"Are you sure that was her?" He whispered to the Signless.

"I have no doubt in my mind. Let's go find her." The Signless grabbed the Psiioniic by the hand and followed the trail to the way backstage. It was a small archway covered with beads, the two boys slid through it. The group of women inside turned, a few of them shrieked.

"No one is supposed to be back here!" A rust blooded fiery girl troll shoved them back towards the door. "Get out!"

"W-wait, I need to talk to someone-" The Signless grunted. The girl was strong but so was he. "Disciple!" He yelled out with slight desperation. Two security guards were now "escorting" them out of the building.

The Psiioniic hit the ground first, then the Signless on top of him. Both of them had more toned and actually muscular bodies since they were lanky teens but that did not soften the impact a bit. The Psiioniic sputtered beneath him.

"Why ith everyone thuch an _athhole_ today!" He cursed in frustration, blocking out his lisp completely forgotten. The Signless didn't hear though, he was busy looking into the deep olive eyes of the girl before them.

"You called my name?" She said quietly, extending a hand to help the men up. Both gratefully accepted.

"Yes, my dear friend, it is I!" The Signless pleaded. He motioned to the Psiioniic. "It is both of us! We found you!" The ruby troll couldn't keep the grin off his face. He had been almost completely sure she was dead, but here she was! The girls jaw dropped a bit as she looked at the two.

"Signless?" She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Psiioniic?" The two nodded vigorously. Olive tears began to well in her eyes.

And then they were all squished so tightly they could hardly breathe. The Psiioniic swooped in on her right and the Signless on her left and she squeezed them both into the biggest hug any of them had ever been a part of. It was a while before any of them let go. The joy and love pouring out of the three trolls was enough to make passerby's watch in disgust or interest.

She had really grown up. They all had. He hair was still long and wild; but it looked much cleaner and softer now. Her eyes still held the brightness of excitement and curiosity and her body was well toned. There were very obvious muscles played out around her exposed stomach and her arms held them in tight for the hug.

"I c-can't believe you two are alive! I thought they had captured you, i-in the fire!" She choked through her tears of happiness, looking in turn at the two of them. Then her face fell from the grin. "Your mother…" She turned to the Signless.

"She is fine and well! You can meet here later." The Signless grinned. The Disciples smiling face returned.

"But where have you been all this time?" The Psiioniic asked.

"That's a question I was going to ask you." She replied. "I know a place where we can sit and talk about everything. Just let me grab my things."

The Psiioniic nodded and she disappeared back into the building only to reappear moments later with a bag and still donning the dancers outfit. It was a sleeveless tight shirt that exposed her strong belly and a beaded flowing skirt that reached all the way to the ground. Together they made their way across the square.

The shop they entered was cramped and small despite the fact that they were the only ones in there besides the worker. At a table they were served a strange drink neither the Signless or the Psiioniic had before, but the Disciple claimed it was good. It was a bit too bitter for Psiioniic so the worker added extra honey to his.

"That's better" He sighed, indulging himself in the warm drink. The Disciple smiled at him.

"I see you have a sweet tooth." She mused. The Psiioniic winked back at her. A light giggle escaped her lips.

"So tell me," she continued. "What happened in that fire?"

"It was all so sudden. We were all sound asleep when it started so by the time we woke up we were surrounded by it." The Signless began.

"It was like a nightmare." The Psiioniic added.

"My mother got us up, we abandoned everything and ran straight to the river. But when we got in I remembered you." The Signless looked her in the eyes. She was watching his every move, listening so intently it hurt.

"You should have seen him," The Psiioniic chortled. Disciple turned her unwavering attention to him as he spoke. "He sprinted back to the fire as fast as he could. But the Dolorosa made him stay and went in herself to look for you."

The Disciples eyes grew worrisome. "She did?" Her voice sounded broken when she spoke. The Psiioniic nodded and the Disciple looked down to the table. "She didn't even know me and she was willing to risk her life for me…"

"That's just how my mother is." The Signless smiled, placing a comforting hand on his companions shoulder. She smiled back. "After searching for you she returned to us. We had to leave or we all would have died. So we headed East down the river until we came upon this wonderful group of trolls. Heh, we still live with them now. They are all old and very wise."

"And ever since we've been training." The Psiioniic flexed and wiggled his eye brows at her, she laughed it return. "Although I can see you have too." He pointed to the girls own muscles and she flexed as well.

"So tell us, what happened to you?" The Psiioniic prodded.

"Well, when I woke up the fire was everywhere already, so a ran. But it was a trap. A bunch of blue bloods started chasing after me," The Psiioniic and Signless exchanged a grim look. "I managed to shake them off and went up the river as well, only I took the North fork." The boys nodded in understanding. "I walked and walked until I ended up here. The town was dirty and disgusting; but so was I. People treated me like a feral lusus for quite a while. Until one day our head dance instructor noticed how quickly I moved and my flexibility; must have been from all those years of hunting. So she took me in and I made a living with the other girls." She shrugged. "You know, I thought you had all been captured in that fire. I went to your cave and you were all gone…"

"It's amazing to think we have been this close this whole time!" The Psiioniic spoke excitedly. But the Signless noted the guilty look on the Disciples face.

"It wasn't your fault. They weren't after you, they were aftr me and the Psiioniic. If anything, we should be sorry. But we're not because it isn't any of our faults. It is the way the high bloods think, so please, do not feel sad for this. We are all okay and together again." The Signless smiled at her. She smiled back and grasped his hand.

"I am so happy." She breathed. Signless squeezed her hand and she felt a flutter in her stomach.

"As am I."

The sun would rise in a few hours, so the boys invited the Disciple to stay with them for the day. She agreed graciously and together they made their way back to the small village. After quite a while the three arrived, many of the elders watched the newcomer. They smiled in welcoming and the Disciple felt honored. Soon they arrived to their own hut.

"What if she doesn't like me?" The Disciple bit her lip. She was about to meet the woman she looked up to for years. The one who kept her going with stories ever since she became separated from the Signless and Psiioniic. It was easy to say she was nervous.

"I guarantee there is no possible way she won't like you." The Signless grinned as he reached to open the small wooden door.

And there she stood, more beautiful than the Disciple had imagined. Her graceful movements tending a flower in a pot, her short silky hair framing her face. A beautiful dress she had woven covered her body smoothly and her sharp features created a fierce yet kind expression. Her head turned and jade eyes fell on olive. The Disciples breath caught in her throat as the woman looked at her. Them she walked over to the three looking very relieved.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"Mother, this is the Disciple. The one you went back in the fire for." The Signless spoke, almost breathless. At this the Dolorosa's eyebrows raised as the looked at the girl with wild hair.

"Ms. Dolorosa, I would just like to say that I greatly admire your work-" Then the Disciple was cut off by the warm embrace. It wasn't nearly as tight as her hug with the boys but it was just as warm.

"Welcome." She spoke softly, brushing some hair behind the Disciples ear. Suddenly the olive girls nerves melted away.

Now with everyone inside they sat and talked. The Psiioniic ranted about how the crowd was rather displeasing and the Dolorosa offered some motherly advice. To calm him down she had him sit in front of her while she braided parts of his hair. You could see the golden troll visibly relax, but there was also that rather obvious blush that always appeared when the Dolorosa came within certain proximity of him. While his hair was braided the Signless told of how the came upon the Disciple and the Disciple told of how she came to be where she lived today.

"What an amazing story. And to think you were so close this whole time."

"Yes, and speaking of stories it is yours that kept me going the whole time!" The Disciple whispered excitedly.

"What do you mean?" The Dolorosa asked.

"Well, when the Psiioniic, Signless, and I would play in the forest they would always tell me the stories you tell them. They were so wonderful, I never forgot them."

"That is wonderful! The night of the fire we left everything behind so all of the stories were gone."

"I remember them though, I even wrote them down. Some nights when can't sleep I just write them out." She spoke, still amazed she was even talking to the creator of these stories.

"I am flattered you like them so." The Dolorosa said. The sun had been up for a while now and all the trolls were yawning. "But I do believe it is time for bed, young ones."

"Disciple, you can have my quarters." The Signless offered. But she shook her head. "I insist, you are out guest."

"Oh, alright." She said with a smile. The Signless grinned in return and lead her to the back of the hut where the beds were. The Dolorosa was prepping a bed on the ground and the Disciple climbed in Signless's. To her right was the Psiioniic, already snuggled into his bed. He smiled and waved to her. She giggled and waved back. The Dolorosa climbed into the bed on her left and the Signless into the one by her feet. She was surrounded by these wonderful trolls, one for the first time. The Disciple could hardly contain her joy as she fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long time.


	10. Chapter 10

The Disciple was welcome to live with the three trolls of course. With open arms she was accepted by the Dolorosa who quickly fashioned a new bed for them. She and some of the neighboring trolls even built an extension on the house to provide more room. Now the Signless and Psiioniic shared a room while the Dolorosa and Disciple shared another. It was truly wonderful; the Disciple even quit her dancer job to study in the ways of the others. Each day she would practice in the field with the men and listened to the wise old trolls. She also began to help the Dolorosa re create her stories that had been lost in the fire. The jade blood would speak and the olive blood would record the story on a parchment; this became a sort of ritual they would perform every night the two would bond over. The Disciple even began helping the Signless create speeches and rehearse them for her. It was a joyful time for them all.

It was a clear night, all was well in the small village and the Psiioniic was currently helping the Dolorosa tend to some vegetables growing outside their small hive. They chatted idly, exchanging ideas for a new story she was currently working on with the Disciple. The Disciple herself had just woken up after a long night of writing and the Signless was no where to be seen. She stepped out into the night, fully dressed in a new outfit the Dolorosa had made her with her own sign looping around her neck. It fit her well and she was very grateful to have it.

"Good morning mother Dolorosa, good morning Psiioniic." She greeted the two.

"It seems our dear Disciple has returned to the living." The Psiioniic teased. The girl tossed her wild hair and flicked a playful glare in his direction.

"I was far overdue for a good sleep! Rather than those cat naps I usually take."

"Well, now that you're awake could you help us a bit with the garden?" The Dolorosa interjected. Quickly the three of them worked to pick out the most ready of their plants.

"I plan to make a special stew tonight to officially celebrate your return." The three brought the baskets inside. "Although I hadn't met you until recently I know the boys missed you a great deal." The Disciple blushed at the trolls kind words. The Psiioniic nodded along in agreement. Behind them the door to their hive opened and the Signless stepped inside. There was the rustling of robes as the Dolorosa whipped around to meet her son. He was grinning from ear to ear, his face a bit scruffy from and hair a bit shaggy.

"Where have you been?" His mother snapped at him.

"Mother, I am an adult. I can take care of myself!" He pleaded, still smiling. "I only went for a quick walk."

"Quick walk? You've been gone since sunrise! The night is almost halfway over, my child. That was no 'quick walk'." She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Mother, please." The Signless sighed. And the jade blood sighed as well, relaxing her position. She ran a hand through his hair and she smiled almost sadly.

"You need a hair cut." She finally said. The Singless placed his mothers hands in his own and nuzzled his cheek into them.

"Well, I better get cooking this stew. Disciple, would you like to help me?" Just as the Disciple opened her mouth to say yes the Signless interrupted.

"Actually, I was hoping to kidnap her for a bit." He smiled mischievously.

"You've been gone all night!" The Dolorosa looked at her son incredulously.

"Yes yes, I know-"

"I need help with this stew."

"I'll help you." The Psiioniic stepped in.

"Thank you, Psiioniic." She smiled kindly up at him and placed a thankful hand on his chest. A light blush and smile appeared on the gold trolls face. "Alright, I'll let you go." She smiled playfully at her son and the olive troll.

"Thank you, mother." Signless swooped in and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll make us all dinner tomorrow."

"Be back in time to eat." She called after the two trolls as they exited the hut.

"Don't get too frisky!" Psiioniic added. The Disciple blushed a deep olive at the thought of her and the Signless getting "frisky".

"I advise the same for you two!" Signless called back. The two could hear the Psiioniic choke and began to laugh as the ruby lead the olive into the trees beyond their small village.

"While I was out on my walk I found this really amazing place. I sat there and meditated for a while, thinking of everything I stand for, everything I hope to do. It was an amazing experience to say the least. I thought you might enjoy it. Perhaps we could draw inspiration together." The Signless spoke as he lead her through the trees.

"Really now? Well I am honored to be taken to this place with you." She smiled at him. He smiled back as they continued on their path.

The two continued with idle chat until the Signless stuck out an arm to stop the Disciple in her tracks. She looked at him with wide glowing eyes. The forest was dark, but there was a mysterious glow ahead of them. He glanced back to her with those deep eyes and held out a hand for her to take without saying a word. Slowly she placed her small hand in his large on and he began to maneuver around the trees with her in tow. She easily mimicked her movements around the tight branches and hanging vines. The ground beneatrh them turned wet and a humming began, almost as if spirits were whispering to the two trolls. It could have been them alone in the world at this moment, the tension and excitement in her heart for what was to come left her breathless as she trusted in her guide completely. Signless propelled them forward and the Disciple watched him move with a tightness in her chest that was not only the excitement. The water was getting deeper, roughly waist deep on the girl. They trudged on until a very large branch blocked their path. He turned to meet her eyes.

"Hold your breath." He whispered. She did as he instructed, and with their fingers entwined the Signless dived beneath the water and guided the olive troll beneath the large branch. Ahead the glowing was brighter; much brighter. The two of them kicked onward and swam, trees entangling above them and roots extending themselves through the water. It progressively got brighter and brighter as they swam, the light was coming from the water itself; was this even water? Soon the Disciple had to squint through it, the white light almost painful to look through. Then the two surfaced for air. Both heads broke through the connection of mystical water and air, both gasping for the sweet breath that they both needed to survive. Slick black hair cascaded down the Disciples shoulders and pooled around her. The glow reflecting off of her made her look like an entirely different creature. Signless smiled at the girl, a foreign feeling pooling inside him. He disregarded it and returned to showing her the place. He lead her to a small island in the middle of the bright pool of something. There were no more trees, no more sky even; they were in a cave.

She could see the opening they came through on the far side of the cave, a dark opening with tree branches (or roots) curling inside to wrap themselves all across the walls of the caves and dip into the water. Although neither was even sure if it really was water, it could be some sort of energy. Or perhaps spirits even. The Disciple studied the pool around their small island for a while. The only ripples were from their presence. Signless came to kneel beside her and they stayed that way for a while, just looking into the energy flowing all around them, within them. After a while the pool stilled itself. It gave off the illusion of being a sleet of glass. The Disciple cold feel the energy building up now, something prickling under her skin. Her gaze shifted to the Signless now, and his to her. Their bodies drew a bit closer, neither of them really realizing it. They were mere inches apart and the Disciples lids fell shut, her lips heavy. The Signless leaned in more, closer now then ever.

And just like that they were apart again. Neither looking at each other, neither speaking. The Signless felt a weight within himself, something like guilt. He couldn't do this to her now. The troll very well knew of his duties; of what he was. It was dangerous and he had to focus his energies elsewhere. It was only a simple infatuation he may or may not harbor for the girl, but he would ignore it for the sake of what he needed to do. He felt guilt for feeling what he felt, but also guilty for leading her to believe that he felt something. He chanced a glance her way and saw her looking just as confused as he felt. Signless cleared his throat.

"Eherm- perhaps we should get going. I'm sure supper will be done soon." He said a bit awkwardly.

"Oh yes, and we both know she would kill us if we missed it." She grinned at him mischievously and he smiled back. "And thank you." She added. "For bringing me here. It's so beautiful and it was a really moving experience to stay here a while." Disciple was being honest. There was something mystic about this place that made her feel refreshed, clear, and focused.

"Thank you for enjoying it with me." Signless replied, holding out an arm for her to take. She wrapped hers within it, their earlier feelings forgotten (or so it seemed). The two of them marched into the water and bowed playfully. Then the Disciple pulled herself away quickly and splashed Signless.

"Hey!" He laughed, blacking the water from his face. There was another splash and she was gone, quickly swimming away. He smiled and dove in after her. She was not far ahead but it was still difficult to maneuver around the branches as quickly as the slender olive troll. He swore to catch her though.

Soon they were laughing and emerging from the forest to look down on their little village. The walk home had almost dried them but they were both still a bit damp. Both trolls sprinted down to the house and playfully shoved each other the whole way down. Signless reached the door first this time and both of them burst in the small hive. At the table sat the Psiioniic and Dolorosa staring at the two trolls. The Psiioniic was in mid bite of his stew.

"You're late." The Dolorosa said, irritation itching in the back of her voice.

"I'm so sorry, mother." The Signless looked truly disappointed in himself. "We ended up taking a bit longer than I thought we would."

"It was amazing." The Disciple interjected. "You wouldn't believe the place we were. It made me feel so… so alive!" She exclaimed. Dolorosa looked on with interest.

"Why don't you two sit down and tell us about this amazing place?" The Dolorsa motioned to two of the trolls to a pair of bowls on the table. "I hope you like your soup cold."

A blue blooded troll marched over the country side, arrows swaying in his quiver. It had been a long journey, and he wasn't getting any closer to what he was looking for. The mutants were practically impossible to locate. It seemed like he had searched every town but there had been no reports of what he was looking for. It was an endless search to please the empress.

After dinner the Signless collected the dishes and scrubbed them clean. The Disciple and Dolorosa discussed what the pool could have been made of and the Psiioniic eventually joined their conversation. But the Signless remained silent, his feeling weighing on his mind. His mother had always encouraged him to find his own way when it came to quadrants, but in his position he was unsure if he should have any quadrants filled. He glanced back to the girl, happy as could be. It didn't seem to be bothering her as much, so why should it bother him? As he scrubbed the last dish clean the Signless decided to forget his feelings and focus on his work. He placed the bowl in its proper place and went to his bed without saying goodnight to anyone.

The Disciple and Psiioniic were too busy arguing about the pool of light to notice, but the Dolorosa did. Discretely she picker herself up and took herself to the Signless' room. He lay on his bed in silence, so she joined him. Cradled in her arms she asked her son.

"What bothers you, my child." Her comforting voice made him feel better almost instantly.

"Nothing, mother." He said back.

"Oh it's not nothing. I know when my little Signless is worried about something." She looked down at him knowingly.

"I am not little." He said back, avoiding the question.

"I care for you." She whispered, stroking a lock of hair back. When he didn't say anything back she spoke again. "You still need a haircut." A small smile appeared on his face.

"Perhaps you can give me one when the moon rises tomorrow. But I need my sleep." She looked into his eyes, still worried for him. But she accepted his plea and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight. I love you." The Dolorosa spoke, rising from the bed.

"I love you too." Signless said as she left.


	11. Chapter 11

The high empress sneered. It had been sweeps since any news of mutants had reached her palace and she grew frustrated; Darkleer had been sent out long ago to hunt them down but there was still no sign. The Condesce rubbed the bridge of her nose, an ache gnawing behind her eyes. A memory swam up of when she had first received news of them from a disgusting lowblood. A smile appeared on her face as she recalled how the troll had left disappointed, then overjoyed when the sack of gold had been dropped in front of them. Of course it was actually a sack of rocks, and as soon as they realized this they were culled. Condesce chuckled a bit at the memory, her headache soothed. That troll had given her the information she had needed, but ever since there was nothing. The headache returned and she called in some mustard blood who wished to speak with her for some reason. Perhaps her ache could be soothed once this one was dead.

Back in the small hive the Psiioniic readied himself for training. Shirt left on his bed the golden troll began to stride from the room, his toned muscles rippling slightly. A small bowl of water sat on the table beside him and the Psiioniic drank it whole. He then looked to the water basin in the corner; it was almost empty so he took the initiative to fill it. No one else was awake at the moment and the sun had just set. As he stepped from the hive he glanced to the horizon, there were still traces of the sun peaking over the hills. The left over water was used to quickly water the garden beside their hive and he carried the basket over to a well in the center of town. Once full he returned to the hive to see Dolorosa beginning to make breakfast.

"Good morning, Psiioniic." She greeted him, a soft smile gracing her features.

"Good morning, Dolorosa." He replied, a small knot tying itself in his stomach. He placed the basket in its place.

"Oh good, you got more water?" She turned with a bowl to drink some. He only nodded.

"Do you know what is wrong with Signless?" Her eyes pleaded with Psiioniic. "Ever since the night he took Disciple out I feel as if he's grown distant. From everyone."

The Psiioniic sighed. "Yes, I've felt that too. But I have no idea what it could be. Perhaps something happened while they were out? The Disciple doesn't see much different though."

"I will speak with her later then." Dolorosa ended with that. There was a moments pause before conversation was struck again.

"What do you think of us trying to speak with the town again?" Psiioniic mused to her, leaning back in the wooden chair.

"I think you should try when you all feel ready." She stood to tend to the cooking meat. "Lean too far back and you'll fall."

"Don't you know who I am? I am the great Psiioniic, master of Psychic powers." He began. The Disciple trudged out from her room half asleep as he talked and sat at the table with him. "No chair can defea-" The Disciple poked a finger at the chair and the Psiioniic went crashing to the floor with a yelp. She snickered and helped him to his feet.

"Sorry, it was just too easy." She apologized while he glared daggers at her. The Dolorosa set the table and the olive and gold trolls dug in. But the jade troll looked back towards the boys room.

"I'll go wake Signless." She announced before walking down the hallway to the room. The boy in question lay still in his bed, breath shallow and slow. Dolorosa placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Wake up my son, night has fallen."

His eyes fluttered open. They had great bags beneath them and he looked up to his mother miserably. She placed a hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up!" It was obvious the Signless had fallen ill. "Wait here, I'll be right back." She stepped out of the room and searched for a rag, dipped it in the cool water, then returned and placed it upon the boys head. He groaned a bit and rolled onto his back so the cloth would stay. The Dolorosa then returned to the cupboard and grabbed a few blankets. She bundled her boy in them and made sure he lay still on his bed.

"Sleep now, you are sick." She rubbed the young trolls shoulder. Signless only moaned in return. The Disciple and Psiioniic peaked into the room.

"Could you two keep an eye on him? I need to go to town to get him some medicine. I'm afraid he has fallen ill." The Dolorosa called to them. Of course both nodded and the jade blood left in a hurry taking only a cloak and her basket.

"I'll make him some soup." The Psiioniic said before disappearing back into the main part of the hive. The Disciple sat down on the bed beside him. Carefully she reached out a hand to stroke his hair, unsure of how he would respond in his sickly state. But he instantly responded to her touch, a slight smile playing on his lips, his head weakly nuzzling into her hand. Then she began to play with his hair, just brushing it with her fingers, then separating the strands and bundling them together again. She began to braid parts of it, although last week the Dolorosa had cut it so it was a bit difficult. The Signless lay still, a smile on his mouth but his brows knotted in pain. Disciple began to hum softly, a sweet melody she had picked up among other trolls. Her voice was still a bit scratchy from just waking up but it still had a sweet tone to it. But her positioned began to grow uncomfortable so instead she moved herself onto his bed and lay there with him in his sickness. The song was still hummed and the hair was still braided, but they lay close together and there was almost nothing more comforting to the Signless than this.

His head felt clouded and heavy, but his heart was warm and buring like the embers in a fire. He had already made up his mind about how he should feel about this girl but even still, he couldn't help but allow himself the pleasure of keeping her close; the feeling of her fingers running through his hair, her gentle humming. Although he physically felt awful, her presence was so comforting that he soon found himself drifting off to sleep.

Psiioniic took his time to make the soup hoping that Signless would squeeze in a nap before it was finished. A faint tune floated from the back room and he let himself indulge in it as he cooked, chopping each vegetable carefully and measuring each spice with grace. He would like to think of himself as learned in the culinary arts, at least from what the Dolorosa taught him. Just as he thought of her the woman in question entered the hive, placed her cloak on a hook, and unloaded her basket. It was full of strange looking herbs.

"Is that his soup?" She inquired.

"Yes."

"Excellent." The Dolorosa strode over to it and began to crush the plants and place them in the cooking pot, mixing in the medicine needed. Psiioniic watched from behind, sitting himself of the table and not saying anything. Soon the soup was done and the Dolorosa slipped into the bedroom where the Disciple and Signless lay asleep in each others arms. The ruby troll was still on his back, his arm now curled under the Disciples and wrapped around her waist. A bit of droll fell from his mouth as it was wide open. The olive girl was curled around his side though, knees drawn up with one arm behind his and the other across his stomach. Her body was slowly rising and falling as the ruby troll continued to breath. The Dolorosa just smiled and returned to the kitchen.

"You're not giving him the medicine?" The Psiioniic watched her, confused.

"He will get his medicine, but for now he'll sleep. It looks a bit too comfortable in there for me to wake him now."

"What do you mean?"

"Go see for yourself." The Dolorosa was smiling to herself, pouring the bowl of soup back into the pot. However, the Psiioniic raised himself and went to see the troll in question. What he lay eyes on next caused rather conflicting emotions. First of all he was angry. Not out of jealousy, no, but out of the set back that might present itself. For he was more than happy to have the Disciple with them, there was no happier time that he could think of (besides when they were children of course), but now the two of them were working for something. Something with a real reason and cause that they had been working for their entire lives and it gnawed on him that because of any infatuation the two of them may gain it might get in the way of the big picture, the real goals. He stomped back into the living room and slumped back into a chair with a huff. The Dolorosa turned, surprised at his reaction.

"Are you not happy for them?"

The Psiioniic sighed. "In a way, yes. I'm glad they both have filled their red quadrent or whatever but let's be honest. What are we really working for here?"

The Dolorosa set her bowl down and pulled up a chair beside him. "You know very well I know what we are trying to do, all of us know."

"Yes but what if their red feelings get in the way?"

"Psiioniic, you know my son-"

"Yes but it's not like I've ever seen him with a woman!"

"He knows very well his position as you know yours-"

"And what if it ruinth everything? Everything we've ever trained for, cried for, starved for? Every troll who hath ever been opprethed ith counting on uth and he'th jutht going to throw it away for hith quadrentth!"

"Don't you realize that it's not only you and the Signless in this? The Disciple and myself are doing our part too! Don't you see her out there training with you every day? Don't I teach you, cloth you, feed you?" The Dolorosa yelled. Psiioniic immediately shrank back, she had never yelled at him like this before. "We are doing just as much our part as yours, and I do not think that the either the Disciple or the Signless will back down from this cause just because of their feelings. You know them better than this, Psiioniic."

It was quiet for a few moments after that. The Dolorosa still seemed angry and the Psiioniic just felt guilty, his own anger forgotten. She was right, the two of them would never let something between them come between what they were all striving for. A few more moments passed.

"You're right, I'm thorry." The Psiioniic whispered, slumped over and rubbing the bridge of his nose. His head was really achey from the energy flowing in his mutant brain.

"It's all right, Psiioniic." The Dolorosa's face changed from anger to kindness as she reached over to rub his arm.

"I'm going to go train." He ended the conversation and stood from the table. Dolorosa stood to stir the soup as the Psiioniic left the hive and went into the night.

He started with punches to the dumby the Signless and he had built. Then psychic punches. A few other psychic manipulations and the dummy's head burst open. Psiioniic sighed and went to go get a replacement head from a basket not too far from the field. When he returned he saw the Disciple crouching on the shoulders of the training puppet. With a flip she was on the ground again standing in front of the gold troll.

"I heard what you two were saying." She said simply, hurt obvious in her voice. "And I just want you to know that there's nothing between the Signless and myself."

The Psiioniic opened his mouth to speak but she put a finger over his lips. "And even if there were," the Disciple continued. "We would never let it get in the way."

The Psiioniic saw the hurt in her eyes and his stomach fell even more.

"Want to train?" She asked him timidly. Psiioniic nodded and she smiled. They began their movements and techniques, hoping to perfect every move, strike, and dodge.

**Authors Note**

Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers! Really, I had no idea I would ever get any more than like 3 so this is a big deal to me. I appreciate ever word or encouragement and every suggestion. Special thanks to  
MissArsenicChaos  
Aimless-A-Smiles  
VampireFreak127  
I am the antihero Calmasis  
crazyfailningaofthehiddenleaf  
Dragongirl253  
and anyone else! Really, I'm not much of a writer and I'm just doing this for fun, but it makes me feel good knowing other people enjoy it too.

Honestly, this was kind of a filler chapter because I was sick and didn't want to make anything big happen but I still wanted to update, but I'm going to get things picking up in the next chapters. I'm just trying to establish relationships and how characters interact since I'm still getting the feel for things. But thank you so much to everyone, until my next chapter!

Cheetah Girl out, GROWL POWER!


	12. Chapter 12

A few weeks later the four trolls decided that they were prepared for another go at public speaking. They spent time mapping out the local towns, deciding which to travel to first. In the end it was decided that, although they proved to be difficult, the first town they had already tried with would be a good choice. Not only was it small and dirty which prevented high bloods from coming but they now had a local in ranks with them; the Disciple. So it was that they packed food and money into a cart the other villagers had provided for them in preparation of their week long stay in this town.

As the sun set they set out, and roughly an hour later they pulled into the town. The moment they hit the wall of stench that seemed to border the town and they all cringed. With tears running down the Delarosa's face and the Psiioniic audibly choking, town regulars stared at them, some laughing.

"I don't remember it smelling this bad!" Disciple wheezed out, clutching her nose.

"Maybe it's not as bad inside… let's find the inn." Signless panted, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

They parked their cart and handed the hoof beast to a caretaker. Then the four trolls entered the inn. Signless was only partly right; although the smell was diluted from outside the inside of the inn smelled musty and stale, almost just as bad as outside.

"I almost want to go back outside…" Psiioniic whispered to Disciple who chuckled in return.

"I would like a room for a few nights." The Dolorosa spoke to the innkeeper. The troll held out his hand and the Dolorosa placed some money in it. He then reached under the counter and handed her a rusty key. She thanked him and the trolls made their way back with their stuff to the room. It was in the back of the building and there was only one window that seemed to be stuck shut. No one was really sure if they wanted to open it anyway and mix the two awful smells, so it was a silent agreement that no one would mess with it. But its dirtiness let little light in, so soon the Dolorosa was scrubbing at it with a dry towel she found. The window was only smudged now.

"Mom, relax about the window." Signless directed her to the only bed in the room. "It's not going to get any better."

"I just wanted to shed a little light on the room." She said in protest, but she moved with him anyway and sat with her son on the bed. Disciple was perched on an empty bookcase across the room and Psiioniic was sitting on a small stool.

"Why don't we figure out how to shed light on this whole town?" Signless continued.

"The window seems easier." Psiioniic jeered.

"Well we aren't exactly here because it's easy." Disciple replied.

"Exactly," Signless answered. "And it wont get any easier either."

"When would you like to start?" Dolorosa directed to her son. He furrowed his brows in thought before answering.

"We have the opportunity to start today; we've gone over this countless times. Or we can rest a day and go over it again before we start tomorrow." He offered.

"I for one am tired of going over out plans, plus I don't think I'll be able to rest with this stink." Psiioniic made a waving motion near his nose and stuck out his forked tongue.

"The smell gets better, but I agree with Psiioniic. I think we're ready!" Disciple said with a smile.

"I suppose we should go out there then." Dolorosa said as they all stood and headed for the door.

And it was so that they gathered in the square where trolls did their shopping. This time they brought a crate for Signless to stand on as he addressed the crowd, but still they resisted.

"Oh look, the preacher is back to give his sermon!" An olive troll called out. Others laughed along with her before turning back to their shopping.

"Please, you must take a moment to listen to what he has to say! I have heard his call and changed my life, you must listen!" The Disciple called out. Some of her familiars turned to watch her.

"Where have you been, Disciple?" A female bronze troll called out. "Off with this lunatic?" She was one of the other dancers.

"He is not a lunatic! This man is an inspiration, a leader to us all. He is here to deliver the low bloods."

Some scoffed. But more seemed interested than before. Perhaps it was because of the Disciple, many were familiar with her. So they stopped to listen. Most of the square fell silent.

"You are all very aware of the way we are treated." Signless began. "We're trash, nothing more than the dirt beneath out feet; at least that's what the highbloods say. But what is it that truly makes us inferior? Do we not pity and hate? Do we not contribute to this world in some way? Is their only reason truly because the pigment of our blood may be slightly different than another's? Who is to say violet is better than jade?" The Dolorosa sliced her hand open with a knife and held it to the air. "Is it any less beautiful? And who is to say indigo is better than gold?" The Psiioniic does the same. "Or fuchsia better than olive." The Disciple joins the other two. "Is that what really matters? Blood?"

The crowd watches intently, mystified by what he has to say. They watched as the three trolls held their blood to the air, proud.

"It's not." Signless continues. "How is it that our race can be so divided by such a trivial thing? Perhaps my horns are smaller than yours, does that make you better? Perhaps my hair is wavier than yours, does that make me better? It doesn't. So why is blood so important? Why should blue bloods hold a place above bronze bloods? What I see before me is a group of strong trolls beaten down because of the way they were born. But when I close my eyes I see a world where we are all _equal_, were no one was better than someone else just because their blood was higher. And with your help, we can make that a reality. If we stand together and fight, then maybe someday, perhaps not even in our lifetime, we can live together in peace." The Signless concluded.

The reaction was completely different this time. Rather than laughing and pointing the crowd was cheering and clapping. Some waved hats, others whooped. There were still those that looked weary as if a high blood had heard the whole thing. The Signless felt elated, looking at all the trolls before him. He stepped down from the box and walked into the crowd. An elder held out his hand and shook it, thanking the Signless. Some trolls came up to talk to him or the Disciple, Psiioniic, and Dolorosa, and there were some trolls in the back glaring and sulking away. One of them came up to the Signless.

"You should not speak of such things or all of us will be dead."

"And all of us will be dead otherwise. I'd rather die freeing my people than die as a coward." He said sternly, grasping the troll's hands. The gold blooded troll only spat at his feet and hobbled away.

"You did wonderful!" Disciple hopped up to him, grasping his arm. "You really made an impact on this town." Her smile was beautiful.

"They wouldn't have even listened if it weren't for you." Signless grasped her hand, feeling something warm and wet. A glance down told him it was her blood. "Come now, we can celebrate later. We must get all of your hands fixed up." He guided her back to the Psiioniic and Dolorosa who were in a deep conversation with a small group of young trolls.

"Signless, these wonderful young ones would love to hear more from you." Dolorosa gestured to the group.

"Come to the inn before daybreak, we shall meet there." Signless said, placing a hand on the shoulder of a troll who couldn't have been but a sweep or two younger than he. They smiled and nodded before heading off to do their shopping.

"I'm so proud of you!" Dolorosa gushed, squeezing her son and placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Heh, thanks mom." He chuckled at her affection. The Psiioniic presumed to give him a light punch to the shoulder as his own way of congratulations. The Disciple even leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

The reaction he felt to such a simple kiss was not passive, however. His mouth ran dry, his gut grew light, and his face became very very warm. Signless let out a small laugh, but it sounded more like a mix between a cough and a hiccup. With a knowing glance the Dolorosa lead them all back to the inn. "Come now, before all out hands become infected." She chirped as she guided them all back after the great day of success.

It was a few hours before sunrise and the Dolorosa and Psiioniic had gone out to do their share of shopping. Meanwhile back in the small room the Signless and Disciple sat together, her reading a book and him in deep thought. Signless glanced over to the girl, his first friend. The first thing he took in was her lips, black as night and currently held captive by her top row of teeth. Her eyes were hidden by raven hair that cascaded down her shoulders and back, which was slightly slouched. Signless recalled the way her hair had been when they first met, wild and matted with bits of leaves and twigs sticking out. Even now it was wild, but very much cleaner. Her horns peaked out at the top of the long hair and gave her the look of a meow beast, constantly on alert. The outfit she was wearing was made by his mother, dark and olive, the neckline coming down quite a ways exposing the grey flesh of her collarbone while simultaneously forming her looping symbol. A skirt wrapped around her legs, the ends shredded keeping that untamed look about her, the one you could never remove from her spirit. Striped leggings traveled down her long legs and her feet jiggled as she read through the lone book she found in a drawer. A hand raised, bandaged, and tossed a bit of hair behind her bare shoulder, revealing her eyes. They danced along the page, absorbing every word and sentence. The Signless couldn't look away from her now, she was absolutely beautiful.

Disciple glanced up at Signless, who was still staring at her. She smiled. "What is it?"

An innocent question enough, but the Signless could feel the emotion behind it. She had to have known he was staring at her for a while, there was no use denying it. So, rather than shying away he spoke to her. "You are just so beautiful." The words fell from his mouth, sweet and intoxicating.

Her heart gave a leap; honestly she wasn't expecting him to say any such thing. Disciple could feel her face grow warm; she was at a loss for words. "I-"

The door reopened and their attention shifted to their guests. It was the Psiioniic and Dolorosa along with the young trolls they had meet before. Signless invited them in and quickly offered them a place to sit, the moment between himself and the Disciple forgotten. But still he reached up to gingerly touch his cheek, the place she had kissed him as the sat in a circle. The Dolorosa passed out some bread she had purchased at the market and the eight of them began to converse. The four young trolls were polite, Psiioniic told them of his story and the Dolorosa of hers and the Signless'. Hours passed and the sun began to rise as they spoke of ideas and beliefs, right and wrong. A hand found its way to his, and the Signless didn't need to look to know it belonged to the Disciple. So he took hers in his and they sat that way all through the day with these new trolls, hand in hand.


	13. Chapter 13

The week was spent with their new followers, the younger trolls and them some others. All of them were ready for change. Faith grew stronger between the bonds of their small family, together they would rise up. As their week drew to a close and they prepared to go home the Signless went to address the ten new followers he had gained.

"My trolls, you're eyes have been opened. I thank you for your help, but me and my kin must be leaving. We will travel elsewhere to open the eyes of others, so it is up to you to see for this town. Tell your friends, your enemies. Spread the word of hope." He spoke to them. Many of their faces looked fallen at news of his leaving. "Fret not," he continued. "I will return to you. Until then, thank you for listening." Signless moved through them not, grasping hands and touching shoulders. The trolls cried out their goodbyes in return, some kissing his cheeks, some reaching out just to touch him. With a wave, the Signless, Disciple, Dolorosa, and Psiioniic were leaving on their cart once more.

It wasn't too far out of town that they breathed fresh are again. Psiioniic inhaled sharply. "I thought I would never smell again!" He rejoiced as they passed through a field of flowers and grass. Disciple leaped from the cart and rolled through the fragrance gracing her senses. The grass tickled her face, as green as her blood and wild as her hair. Signless was not far behind, rolling through the grass just as she did. The cart was moving slow enough for them to easily catch up, Psiioniic and Dolorosa stayed in it chatting about the success of their week.

Signless rolled over to look at the Disciple who was already watching him. Black lips turned up in a smile, inviting and kind. He gave her a smile of their own and she ran a hand gently down his cheek, humming a song her recognized as the one she hummed when he had fallen ill. Sometimes he would hear it flowing in the wind as she gardening, sometimes when she was writing or drawing something; it seemed she was always doing that. Sometimes he could hear it when he passed by the stream and she was filling the water basket. The simple song he could hear as he fell asleep, and he always thought of her. So he held her hand there, simply enjoying the softness of her small hands. His eyes fell shut and the two of them just lay there. Signless could enjoy this for now, the closeness of her to him. The smell of the flowers around them. Her humming voice. He felt her in him, filling his soul, giving him hope for the future. Her very existence shaking him to the core.

It was in this moment the Signless realized he was in love with the Disciple.

A love more than any he had learned of, more than pity, hate, pacification. He felt a part of her, as if he could not live without this olive girl he had met as a boy in the forest. His insides swelled, shaking with this realization. The danger of these feelings.

He would be prosecuted for his preaching. Signless knew his ideas were dangerous, many would be angered. He would be wanted dead, they would want to tear all hope away from him. They would take her away. Signless couldn't stand the thought. His smile turned to a frown, his hand grew tight around hers before taking it away from his face and opening his crimson eyes. Hers were filled with worry at his sudden change in demeanor. Her beautiful eyes.

Signless sat up in the field. The stars and heavens stared down into their souls, the twinkling lights so far away. The pink and green moons were full and shown down on them, illuminating the field.

It was decided, he would not put her in more danger just for his feelings. She gazed up at him. "Signless..." His name dripped from her lips. He turned to look at her, his face so open and full of emotion.

Signless stood. "We should get home." He spoke rather flatly. Then he stood and walked to the cart, leaving her alone on the ground worried and confused.

The ride home Signless stayed silent. Most of the conversation was lead by Psiioniic and Dolorosa with the occasional comment from Disciple. Yet Signless stayed silent in thought.

The while they stayed planning for their next town the Signless stayed away from Disciple as best as he could. Planning as a group wasn't an issue, he would completely set aside any feelings while they discussed things much more important. It was during idle times. Disciple took notice, the way he would be in the same room alone with her, the way he only invited Psiioniic or Dolorosa to fill the water basket with him, the way he would barely speak to her. She was hurt. So it was then she went to see the Dolorosa.

It was after dinner and the Signless offered to take the dishes to be washed with the Psiioniic. Now alone in the small hive the Dolorosa and Disciple tidied the cooking area.

"Dolorosa?" Disciple began.

"Yes, dear?" She replied while scrubbing the table.

"Do you think Signless is mad at me?" Her voice broke a little and Disciple cursed herself for sounding weak. Dolorosa perked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," She sighed. "Ever since we got back he's been acting so strangely around me. He's fine with you and Psiioniic, but with me... he can't even look at me." She pressure building behind her eyes and bit her lip, urging the tears not to fall. The Dolorosa saw this and quietly drew Disciple into a gentle hug. She lost the battle with her tears and they began to fall as she surrendered to the hug. "I just don't know what I did."

"You didn't do anything darling. I'm not sure what is wrong with him but I'll make sure to find out." The Dolorosa replied in a motherly tone, but by the end of her sentence she sounded like a lusus scolding their child and Disciple knew Signless was in for something.

"Oh please don't tell him I'm fretting over this!" The cried out. "He would probably just be disgusted or something."

"Oh, I know my son and I know he isn't disgusted with you. I don't know what's going on, but there is no way he could feel such a thing about you. You are one of his dearest friends, there is something else going on here." Dolorosa patted her back. Disciple drew back and nodded, wiping the green tears from her face.

"Thank you, Dolorosa." She said, giving her another hug before heading back to her sleeping area to write.

The Dolorosa watched her go before stepping out into the night. In the distance she saw the two boys approaching the hive.

"Hello, mom." Signless said once close to her. She took the plates from his hands and handed them to Psiioniic.

"Take these inside, honey." She said to him. He nodded and stepped inside. "You," She addressed to Signless who now held his hands up in surrender. "I need to speak with you." Her bottom lip was set and she glared a bit. The two of them stepped into the garden.

"Why have you been treating the Disciple like this?" She accused.

"Like what? I haven't been treating her like anything!" He yelled defensively.

"Exactly! You have been ignoring her as if she were the dirt beneath your shoes." Dolorosa pointed to the black boots in question furiously.

"I have not! Just because maybe we don't talk as much-" Signless was faltering.

"You are lying and I know it, what is really going on, Signless?" Her voice started angry but ended in a kind way.

Signless sighed. "I just, with all of this, don't want anything to happen to her."

Dolorosa raised her brows.

"When I look at her, I see life. I see hope for a new world. With every loving gesture she gives me breath and my heart-" He stalled. "I can't stand the thought of losing her."

"How is ignoring her going to help?"

"I've become a target. Not only am I a mutant, but I am leading a revolution. If I let her too close to me they will target her that much more to get to me."

"She knows exactly what she is getting into, as do the rest of us!" Dolorosa yelled. "If she didn't she wouldn't be here beside you, but she does! And now you're pushing her away."

"Only because I love her!"

"So you hurt her?"

"My rejection is much better than what any high blood will do to her!"

"You underestimate this girl." Dolorosa hissed. "She offers you exactly what you want, love and life and hope, yet you throw it away in fear!"

Signless faltered.

"She knows what she's getting into. Have faith, my son." Dolorosa placed a comforting hand on her sons shoulder before leaving him in the garden.

Signless spat angrily. How could she not understand? Throwing himself against the wall of their hive the Signless slide to the ground. He grasped at his hair and clenched his teeth, the Dolorosa's words echoing in his mind.

But she was right.

He stayed that way for a while, weighing his options. The heavens stared down at him, and he gazed right back. Finally he took off his hood, black hair gently blowing in the breeze. He felt in his fists and his feet and his heart and everywhere the love for this girl. He would fight for her while he could, until the day he fell to his knees. A crack of lightning shattered the sky and blinded the world. Signless stood, shaking in resolution. He turned to the hive.

"Where is Disciple?" He asked the two trolls at the table. Psiioniic looked to his friend.

"She said she was going for a walk."

Signless left without a word and stepped into the woods.

She sat on the small island, the world around her glowing white. It was the mystical place Signless had taken her what seemed like forever ago. Her body felt deflated and every breath forced. A rumbling echoed through the small cavern; thunder from outside. She lay back and dipped her feet into the water. It seemed like she stayed that way for hours. She might have even fell asleep, the occasional rumble stirring her. It was the loudest one that sent her upright. The storm was right above her now. A light streamed in from the small hole in the top and an instant crash louder than anything erupted. Disciple stared in awe. Moments later another crashed around her. It was so loud she didn't hear the splash of a surfacing troll.

"Disciple," a low voice said once the silence had fallen. Disciple gave such a jump it made the Signless jump as well. He crawled up to her, still partly in the glowing water.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to tell you-" the rest of the sentence was drowned out by the crashing of thunder and lightning. It echoed for a while in the cavern.

"What?" Disciple yelled, the thunder still echoing.

"I said-" Another thunderous crack.

Disciple called out again but could barely hear herself over the echoes. The Disciple gave a visible sigh in preparation.

Suddenly he was inches away from her. Disciple drew in a breath as Signless closed the distance between them. Another thunderous crash and he was kissing her. His face held in his large hands, still partly in the glowing water. She positioned herself closer to him, heart beating faster than ever. He moved his hands around her waist and drew her into his body while lips moved against each other. Her hands explored his raspy face, stubble grazing against her soft hands. If the thunder hadn't been so incredibly loud Signless would have heard the soft moans coming from Disciple. He broke the kiss as silence finally fell.

Her eyes were still closed but slowly fluttered open. "I came to tell you that I love you." Signless gasped for breath, smiling. Disciple kissed him all over his face, the tip of his nose, his forehead, both cheeks, all across his jawline, and his lips. He let out a soft laugh at her affection.

"I love you too, I love you so much." She said between kisses. Once she captured his mouth again he deepened their kiss. This time his tongue ventured into her mouth and he could feel her shiver against him as he probed her mouth. She lunged forward a bit as she started to explore his mouth as well and they fell backwards into the glowing water. The two didn't break the kiss quite yet though, even underwater Signless held her to him. A muffled crash was heard underwater as lightning flew across the sky again. Soon enough they both had to come up for air gasping. But Signless knew this would be the beginning of something beautiful, and with her in his arms they just stayed that way for a while, lightning illuminating the sky above.

**Finally! They kissed! Yeah!  
Thank you to all those who keep up with this story, I'm so happy. Really, thank you.**


	14. Chapter 14

**WARNING: This chapter is extremely NSFW! It's literally just a smut chapter and doesn't have anything to do with the plot, so if you're not wanting to read it you can skip to the next chapter. This chapter is rated M.**

One kiss. Two kisses. Countless kisses. Both hearts were beating heavy and fast as the Signless ran his tongue across the Disciples. She deepened the kiss and bit at his bottom lip with her teeth. Any breath the Signless had been holding escaped him in a groan. Wrapping his strong arms around her athletic body her brought the Disciple closer to him, their bodies pressed together, her legs wrapped around him. He began kissing her neck, all along the jaw line and down to her collarbone. As his lips brushed her skin the Signless could here her little mewling noises of pleasure.

"Signless…" She whispered to him. Despite the quietness of her voice, the noise still echoed and bounced about the cavern. She began to roll her hips against him, the Signless choked a little at the sudden burst of pleasure from his groin.

Their breath grew short as the Disciple increased her pace, claiming the Signless's lips once more. Her tongue explored his mouth, brushing against Signless's teeth and his own tongue until his began to explore her own. The tightness of his suit grew uncomfortable, his growing buldge restricted by its fabric. He drew his mouth away from hers and ran his hands up her body.

His hands drew to a stop at her ribs just below her swollen breasts. Shyly, he glanced up into her eyes. The connection shared was of absolute trust, so the Disciple placed her hand on top of his own and guided it to her breast. They were soft and warm, and the Signless began to gently massage them with his palms. Under his hands he could feel her nipples begin to harden. Signless was overcome with lust.

The Disciple reached over to one arm and removed the long black and green sleeve, leaving it bare. Removing herself from him, the Disciple sat back, and arching her leg into the air slowly removed her matching leggings. The Signless watched in awe as her body became more and more exposed to him, then removed his own cape. She crawled forward to him and sat back on her knees, grabbing the bottom of her short dress and pulling it up over her head.

The pressure on Signless's buldge was becoming too uncomfortable, so he quickly removed the almost full body suit, leaving it on the ground next to the other clothes. For a moment they sat still, taking in each others appearance.

The Disciple was built, muscular, but still slender. It was true, her body was not super feminine, the way the Signless had seen females exploited before. Hers had a rougher feel to it. He could make out the scars on her body from bad days in training, and a few burn marks on her legs, presumably from the fire that happened such a long time ago. Her body was toned as well, obvious abs and other muscles from their constant training. She was the most beautiful thing the Signless had ever seen.

Both were blushing quite a bit, almost unsure of how to restart. Slowly, the Disciple moved back closer to him, placing her hands on his chest. The Signless wrapped his arms around her exposed body and once again their lips met, crushing into each other. Signless's hands ran up Disciples back and tangles into her hair, pulling her even closer to him, his tongue comfortably back in her mouth. He pulled her on top of him, Signless sitting on his knees and Disciple on top of him, legs wrapped behind his back. Rocking his hips into her, Disciple broke the kiss and focused on grinding herself onto him.

Signless began to remove the bindings that held her breasts in place. Moments later they were exposed, nipples fully erect. Signless moved his head to take one into his mouth, tongue playfully flicking at the nipple. Disciple leaned back, giving him easier access. It was like the lightning above them was running through their own bodies, both heightening and surprising their senses. All thought was drained, yet every touch and feeling felt hyper-sensitive. She moaned in pleasure while his mouth moved over to give her other breast attention.

"S-Signless, I can't take it anymore-" She choked, still grinding herself against him. She could feel the throbbing in her clitoris. It needed more attention. He pulled away from her, his own buldge throbbing and hard as a diamond.

He reached down, running his hands down her body until they reached her hips. Carefully, he slipped a finger under the fabric that was in the way and began to tug it down. Using his index finger, he slowly ran one finger up her inner thigh and across her opening, brushing by her clitoris. Disciple let out a small yelp at its touch. The Signless's breath grew heavy and low as he watched her squirm with lust and pleasure, He ran his finger over it again. And again.

Disciple sat up, a look of determination in her eye. Her head was spinning, but she knew exactly what she wanted. She slipped off the last article of clothing from the Signless, finally freeing his erection. She gave it a soft flick with the lick of her tongue.

He bit his lip and lay back on the ground as she positioned her head between his legs. With a soft hiss on the tip of the head, Disciple wrapped her lips around his erection and slowly drew her mouth down, taking in as much as she could. She pulled herself back up, then creating a vacuum she sucked him back in. Signless audibly let out a moan and it echoed a few times around the cavern. His hands reached up to run through his own hair as he had to mentally remind himself not to buck into the Disciples mouth. The outright pleasure of it had him sweating and crying out in ecstasy. It wasn't long before the Signless was on edge, ready to explode. He sat up and guided her head away from his throbbing cock.

"My turn…" He whispered into her ear as he lay her back on the ground. Lying beside her, Signless stretched a hand down and ran a finger along her opening again. Disciple rolled her hips into his touch, as he stroked her again, this time dipping one finger into her wet opening. She bit her lip and arched her back while he continued to stroke her. She panted with short breath as he slipped another finger into her opening, his thumb rubbing her clit still. A moment later she reached down and withdrew his fingers from her body.

Grasping his shoulders, she rolled on top of him, positioning herself above him. He watched in awe as she reached behind herself and grasped his erection in her hand and guided it to her. The tip brushed against her clitoris and he saw her shudder a bit. It sat pointed at her opening. Slowly, she lowered herself onto it. Fully inside her, the Disciple sat for a moment, eyes closer, just taking it in. Signless watched as she took in his full length and held it there, her back arched and head thrown back, flushed in that beautiful olive color. Then she drew herself back and with her strong legs she lifted herself back up, almost completely off, then back down. She repeated this action a few times just to get herself used to the feeling of him inside her. The Signless watched in amazement as the girl her loved gave herself to him, and he gave himself to her.

She began to pick up the pace a little, creating a momentum. Signless leaned up a little and began to buck himself into her, the pressure increasing in his groin. Without removing himself, Signless rolled the both of them forward so now he was on top. Disciple rolled her hips into his and Signless couldn't suppress the moan that escaped him at the feeling. He began to buck into her and she humped back, recreating the momentum they had had before.

Signless claimed her breast with his mouth again and began to suck and flick the nipped. Disciple threw her head back and ground herself into him even harder, inviting the Signless to go deeper. He began to pick up the pace, pushing farther into her. Disciple changed her position a little to add more access and hit bit at her neck.

Their moans and cries filled the cave, and with the echoes it was a constant sound of pleasure. The longer they went the louder they got, and soon it was too much for the Signless. He reached down a hand between their bodies and paused his thrusts to rub the Disciples clitoris again. The sheer wetness of her against his cock kept him hard as a rock as he rubbed in circles. Her legs were spread wide as she bucked against him.

"Signless, I'm going to c-cum…" Disciple cried out as he rubbed her furiously. Quickly, he removed her hand and began to thrust into her again, holding his hands at her hips. Filling her up, the warmth and slickness brought him back to the edge. Suddenly, the Disciple cried out and her walls came fluttering around him as she started to cum. Signless couldn't take one more second, her orgasm pushing him over the edge. With one final thrust he came inside of her, filling her with his sticky substance. Slowly they came down from their high, just lying together on the floor of the cavern. The Signless removed himself from her, the movement causing the Disciple to cry out again. Now exhausted, the two pressed their bodies together only to catch their breath.

**Alright, I just wanted to have a little fun with that. Also as a huge thank you to all my followers and a little treat for you! Especially since you've been waiting so long. I'm so sorry it hasn't been updated until now, but thanks so much for reading! GROWL POWER**


	15. Chapter 15

The two returned from the cavern, hand in hand, a new bond formed between the two. Arriving on the doorstep, Signless gently cupped the Disciples cheeks and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead while both were bundled beneath his long cloak, shielding them from the burning sun now making its way across the sky. The two entered the home to find the others fast asleep and a pot of cold tea waiting for them. Silently, the two crept into the back bedroom. Laying down together the Signless stroked the Disciples hair and she purred in his arms.

"You mean more to me than anything." He whispered to her.

"And you to me." Disciple said, stroking his cheek in return.

They lay like that for a while, legs tangled until the breathing of the Disciple slowed and she surrendered to sleep. Yet the Signless stayed awake, at war with his feelings. It was true, she meant everything to him, but in what way? She calmed him so, just as a moirail should, yet he also felt a burning red for her. And the times when she angered him so it felt black before fading back. And when he doubted himself and felt the most disgusting of self pity she always seemed to separate it… it was like he wanted her in every quadrant. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why couldn't he just be more like a normal troll; not only the blood, as if that wasn't enough, but the dreamlike visions and now these feelings? Was his entire existence only meant to be doomed? Or was there a more important purpose to him? Should he really bother with this insane quest of his? Would anyone even listen? The Psiioniic stirred nearby, nearly waking. Signless had to speak to someone about this.

"Psiionic…" Signless whispered. Slowly he rather reluctantly peeled himself from the Disciples embrace so as not to disturb her, and crept over to his bunk. The Psiioniic stirred. Gently Signless places a hand on the trolls shoulder.

"Signless?" Psiioniic turned to him, eyes not quite able to focus on the mutants figure.

They sat until the moon rose again, only talking and sipping cold tea.

"I don't know how to explain it, she just…" Signless sighed, unable to find the words he was searching for.

"I know this sounds outlandish…" Psiioniic resigned. "And not something I personally would do in any way, but perhaps you two don't belong in any quadrents."

There was a beat of silence.

"You're right, that doesn't sound like you at all." Signless chuckled as Psiioniic smirked a little. "But maybe you're right. What if we, her and I, made out own?"

"I wouldn't put it past you. You've had more wild ideas than that."

"Oh and you haven't gone along with any of them nor been supportive I'm sure. I mean look where you are now." Signless said sarcastically.

"Brother," Psiioniic spoke with a serious tone. "You know I will always support you."

"Thank you." Signless smiled warmly toward his friend. "Not many trolls would do such a dangerous thing."

The two clasped hands in a sort of hand shake, a closer bond between them.

That's when there was a knock at the door.

"Who could possible come this early? The sun has only just set?" Psiioniic questioned, looking back at the Signless. Both eyes widened. This would not be a casual visit. The knock came again, more forceful. This time a booming voice followed.

"We know you're in their, mutant, come out now and maybe we'll spare your life." There was a short snigger after the order, and both the Psiioniic and Signless knew that there was no way his life would be spared if captured. Silently, they crept to the back of the hut. Signless pointed to himself, then to the room where the Disciple slept. Then he pointed to the Psiioniic and to where the Dolorosa slept. Both nodded and moved quickly.

"Disciple-" He shook her shoulder quickly. "We need to go now."

"What is it darling?" She rolled onto her back and purred.

"A raid…" The Signless spoke urgently. At those words the Disciples eyes snapped open wide and she stood on her toes. Quickly, she gathered her strife claws and a colorless cloak, not unlike the Signless's. They had practiced this a hundred times. Take the bare minimum. Out in the hall the Dolorosa and Psiioniic were waiting; both wearing cloaks identical to the Disciples. The four of them shuffled to the back of the hut as the troll at the door pounded again and announced they had till the count of three before they busted down the door.

"One…"

The Dolorosa, Disciple, and Psiioniic were down the trapdoor.

"Two…"

The Signless quickly grabbed his speeches and blew out the candle.

"Three!"

The trapdoor was shut as the front door was knocked off its hinges. The four trolls hurried through the narrow tunnel that lead from under the house to far off in the forest. The air was hot and stuffy as they huffed through the tunnel, eventually reaching the forest.

"What do we do now?" Disciple looked to the Dolorosa, worry brimming in her eyes.

"I have a plan." She spoke and turned West, walking briskly. The others followed as she explained. "I always knew this day would come. We would never be safe somewhere so immobile for long."

"Where do we go then?" Psiioniic inquired, keeping pace easily with his long legs.

"To the docks." Dolorosa answered. "I had it all set up, just in case. There's a ship waiting for us there in an emergency such as this. It has food, clothing, anything we may need. If we get there fast enough we can lose their trail in the water."

Signless was impressed, he honestly hadn't thought of any sort of escape route in this situation; only the escape from the house. He had figured they would just run until they found a cave or new town, but this way they would cover ground, or sea, even faster. They could visit new towns, stay hidden, and jump place to place quicker than they ever could on foot. Although he was exhausted, the Signless was filled with a new sense of excitement. Maybe they could all really pull this off.

Miles of walking, the air was cool and crisp as the hours ticked by. Finally, they reached the dock, tired and worn. Signless huffed, having not slept all night. The Disciple was exhausted as well, the Psiioniic and Dolorosa better off with the hours of sleep they had. Quickly, the scurried past the passing trolls to their boat, deemed "The First Ship", and began to untie its ropes.

It was small, but for the four of them it worked perfectly. Large enough for there to be space, but small enough to manage. They pushed away from the dock and set the sails, trying to get away as fast as possible. The trolls after them would be there soon, and so they were off.

Finally they four sat down to rest for a moment. The Signless leaned against the side railing the Psiioniic leaned against the steering wheel to guide the ship, and the Dolorosa sitting near the Signless with the Disciple's head in her lap.

"I guess we've outrun them for now?" Disciple panted.

"Not quite…" Psiioniic spoke uneasy as one of the ships, now on the horizon, left the dock and turned directly toward them.

"We'll have to try and outrun them; if they get close we may have strife on our hands." Dolorosa sighed, carefully watching the boat as it tailed them far behind. "We must stay alert."

The Disciple groaned with the denial of sleep, yet stood watch anyway.

"Don't complain, love, we all feel the same." Signless sighed, his grumpiness beginning to ebb at him.

"Two hours of sleep." She grumbles back under her breath, not wanting to hear his lectures.

"Yes, and I had none, but we are all trying to do out best here with what we have." Signless snapped back a little harsher than he meant. Disciple looked taken aback with him.

"I'm so sick of this bullshit." Disciple glares toward the ship.

"You think we're not?" The Signless barked back, a snarl on his lips. The lack of sleep was really starting to get to him.

"Now is not the time to be at each others throats." Dolorosa interrupted their tiff. "Psiioniic, you keep guiding the ship. Signless, help me see if there's a way to lighten the ship or make it faster. Disciple, you keep an eye on that ship back there."

"Aye aye." Disciple grumbles.

The two moved to the small below deck area and checked through the possessions. Crates of food, medicine, clothes, more clothes, another box of clothes…

"Do we really need all these clothes?" Signless asked.

Dolorosa bit her lip. "Well…" Her eyes stared longingly at the fabrics. "I was hoping to-"

Signless cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh alright, the extra clothes go overboard, but save a few please." She resigned. The two began to lug huge boxes of clothing and fabric up to the top deck.

"It looks like they're only just keeping pace." Disciple observed. "If we do manage to lighten up a bit we may be able to lose them."

Signless nodded and tossed the first heavy box of fabrics overboard. And another. And another. After six heavy boxes, the last one stood alone.

"We need at least one box of clothes." The Dolorosa insisted as the Signless eyes the box longingly. He gave in, however, and the two went below deck to see if there was anything else.

A few nice pieces of furniture sat in a corner, a large single chair, a love seat, and a wardrobe. Signless raised another eyebrow at his mother.

"I thought we may as well make the place feel homey if we're going to live here!" She justified, grabbing one end of the loveseat. Together they dragged all of the furniture up to the top deck and once again, tossed them over the side and into the water.

"I think we're starting to pick up speed…" Disciple reports again. Give it some time, we'll see.

The Signless and Dolorosa sat with her now and watched as very slowly, the boat disappeared behind the horizon. Finally, they could breathe a sigh of relief. They all hugged each other a moment, as a way of apologizing for previous bad attitudes.

"Psiioniic," Dolorosa turned to the gold troll. "Would you mind steering a while? These two need sleep more than you or I, and that way I can steer during the day." She batted her eyelashes a bit.

Psiioniic coughed a little and stammered out a quiet "Sure.", a light brush covering his cheek. He turned to the constellations for guidance.

The other three trolls, jade, ruby, and olive retreated into the below deck area where four hammocks had been set up to sleep. She kissed each other their heads, whispering good things before the two lay down for much needed sleep. Quietly, the Dolorosa returned to the deck where the Psiioniic was quietly humming a song to himself. She recognized it as an old slaves song, particularly for those with psionic powers, like him. She sat beside him.

"You should sleep; you'll need to be awake in the day." He spoke softly, not looking at her.

"I'll be fine." She replied, looking up at the endless sky, sprinkled with diamond like stars.

Silence.

"Do you think we'll ever be free?"

The Dolorosa wasn't sure how to answer that. Instead she stood, placed a kiss on his forehead, and went back below deck to sleep.

The Psiioniic knew the answer to that question anyway.


	16. Chapter 16

HEY EVERYONE, I'm so sorry for the wait! Yes there was a sort of hiatus, but I haven't forgotten about this story. Thanks to everyone still reading, I really appreciate it! Not much happens in this chapter, but I hope to start picking up the pace again. Thanks again everyone!

The boat moved on in what seemed to be forever. In a dream like state they pushed forward only ever the horizon to follow. At times danger seemed close like those moments when a dark, ominous shadow appeared out of the fog, yet those only ever seemed to be large rock formations or barges carrying cargo. So ceaselessly they beat on, the gentle wakes of the endless ocean rocking them into a false sense of security. The Psiioniic knew better, however. The sea was the Condenses domain, and with every moment they spent on the ship he grew more and more weary of her possible presence just below him. At any moment they could be passing over a sea dweller hive or kingdom, and the anxiety building up inside him could not be quelled with simple words of comfort. To distract himself, he watched the Disciple draw sharp lines on a scroll. More and more were added and soon he realized that she was making a map.

"I was thinking we should dock soon." The Signless spoke from the wheel, breaking the silence between them. "We are low on supplies; it would just be a quick trip. No big heists."

The disciple shifted in her seat. "Are you sure? I'm sure we could last a few more weeks."

"I think we should." The Psiioniic added. "I just counted our provisions, I'm not sure we can make it through this week alone." Scratching the back of his neck he leaned back against the railing and stared into the stars above.

"I'll set course for land." Signless decided. "Have you finished that map yet?"

The Disciple added a few more lines and looked up the stars for a reference. "No, but I could get us going the right direction." She chewed the tip of her quill. The Signless nodded in encouragement for her to continue, she continued to star into the stars trying to orient herself. "I think if you turn North West we could be there by sunrise."

"Perfect. If we're quick about it we can be in and out of the nearest town before the sun grows too bright."

Signless turned the ship as the great vessel rocked against the natural wakes of the ocean. Quietly, he began to speak a prayer to himself. A prayer for the ones he loved, his mother Dolorosa, his dearest friend in the world Psiioniic, and the love of his life Disciple. He prayed for all the unfortunate trolls imprisoned, the shackles of enslavement burned into their palms. All the grubs lost, and all the less fortunate. He prayed for salvation, and he prayed for hope. The prayer went on for a while, becoming a sort of meditation as their ship cut through the dark water and his mind reached a state of calm in the wild wakes of the ocean. All that could be heard was the churning of the water and the soft voices of his companions as they spoke quietly to each other on the lower deck before him. A short while later the Psiioniic appeared beside him, offering his hand to take the wheel.

"My friend, you have been guiding us all night." He smiled as Signless made no movements to give up his position.

"I have no quarrels with my position." This was true, he was actually quite comfortable although he had been standing for hours on end.

Yet Psiioniic shook his head. "Do not fret, I am a great pilot you know." He winked his red eye. "I'm sure the Disciple would like to spend some time with you, anyway."

The Signless stepped back from his position and gave the wheel to the Psiioniic, who gently took it in his large callused hands. A smile played on his features, the crooked teeth pointing out at random angles. Signless returned the smile and pat his friend on the back. "Keep heading North West, it shouldn't be but a few hours before land appears on the horizon."

Psiioniic nodded. "Now go, rest yourself before we go on our journey."

Signless places his hand on top of Psiioniic's for a moment as a thank you, then turned to leave his friend and go down to the lower deck. The Disciple was before her map, nearly complete now, adding the last few details and fixing the mistakes. Slowly, he strode up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender frame, breathing in her scent. She let out the breath she had been holding, perhaps in anticipation for his touch and leaned against his body, her arms stretching up to tangle in his rough shaggy hair.

"Perhaps it's time for a haircut, hmm?" She purred, standing from her seat and turning around to meet him face to face.

"You're one to talk." Signless smiled as he ran his fingers through her mane like hair. Her small strong hands came down the sides of his face to gently caress him, the rough beard scratching along her palms. They looked deep into one another's eyes for a moment, just taking a moment to really see them.

"I've missed you." The Disciple whispered; her eyes moving down to his lips. Subconsciously she licked her own, giving the black skin a moist sheen.

"I haven't gone anywhere." He whispered back, the rough voice barely making a sound as his hands lowered from her hair to her hips. Slowly they brought their foreheads together to touch and rocked back and forth. They could have almost been dancing.

"But you have." Her hands moved to his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. "We've all been so busy planning. Me with the maps, you with your sermons and prayers, even the Psiioniic and Dolorosa." Her fingers began twirling around some of the hair at the nape of his neck, giving the Signless a shiver. "I understand, and it's all important work but-" She sighed. "I still miss you." They had stopped swaying, and the Disciple was watching the ground between their feet with great intensity.

Signless brought one of his hands up to her face and cupped her chin, bringing her eyes up to meet his. He gave her a crooked smile, overbite and all. "I missed you too."

The Disciples stomach erupted into butterflies, and she felt just the same rush she had felt as a child. That inevitable force that drew her to him, made her want to listen to every word, every breath, every beat of his heart. He had grown so much from when they were children, his eyes now a brilliant scarlet, his face worn yet still young, and he was now taller than she. Yet below all of that she could still see the child in him, the one that lay with his smile and the hope in his heart. This is what brought her lips to his in a rush, her toes curling and perking to bring her to height with him, their limbs entwining and breath meeting. He ran his hands along her back and brought her closer, as if they could never be close enough, and tasted the sweet tang of her. Gently, he bit at her lip, his face growing flushed and body gaining more need with ever movement. Disciple pulled away to kiss his cheeks, his nose, his neck, his hands, and his forehead. Every light movement, every brush of her lips was driving him to insanity.

Gently, he took her by the hand and waste and lead her to the wall of the inner cabin until her back was against the dark wood. His hands continued to roam over her beautiful body as she kissed every inch of him she could reach, her lips eventually finding their way back to his own mouth which ached for her touch. The Signless' tongue brushed against the opening of her mouth and her own complied, opening to let his explore and brush against her own. The Disciple felt her face flaming in arousal at his touches, she knew she was probably greener than the moon that waned above them. She pulled him closer to her and wrapper her legs around his torso as he pushed her against the wall. A loud coughing noise came from above and they jumped back from each other, both looking to the upper deck.

"I'm STILL HERE, guys." The Psiioniic spoke, his voice cracking with clear discomfort. If it was possible, the Signless and Disciples faces turned an even darker shade. Although he couldn't see exactly what they had been doing, there was no doubt her heard more than a few moans.

"Oh, Psiioniic, I'm so sorry-" The Disciple pleaded, a little more than embarrassed.

"It's fine! It's fine!" The Signless could practically hear the embarrassment in Psiioniic's voice. "Just thought you guys might want a more private area!"

"We really should be preparing, anyway." The Signless spoke, brushing the hair out of his eyes and taking a deep breath. The Disciple scoffed with disappointment, her desires unmet. "Don't worry, love. Another time." He winked and the Disciple's smile returned. Carefully, he places a kiss on her forehead before turning to the cabin door. "I should go prep the Dolorosa, how close are we?"

The Psiioniic glared into the distance ahead, and just barely through the fog he could make out the shoreline.

"Coming up fast, we should get ready to dock." He reported.

"No, not dock." The Disciple spoke. "We shouldn't go somewhere where our ship is out in the open. Let's follow the shoreline until we find a small cove with little activity. Our ship should be small enough to be hidden below the trees."

Psiioniic nodded and complied as The Disciple grabbed a coat for herself and the Signless. "You and Dolorosa should stay and guard the ship." She spoke as she gathered sacks and bags and other things. "It will be quicker if there is just two out, plus there will be a quick escape if needed with you guys already here."

"Oh, will it be quick?" The Psiioniic raised his brow. "Last time I checked whenever you and the Signless go off with each other alone somewhere it's quite sometime before you return." The Disciple blushed angrily.

"Well this is more important than just any walk, you know neither him nor I would risk the lives of others just to share a selfish moment between the two of us."

Psiioniic raised his hands in defense. "Down, meowbeast. I'm only joking." A more serious expression crossed his features. "But really, be careful and be quick."

"Of course." The Disciple replied, double checking the amount of bags she has packed.

"And keep him safe."

The Disciple looked at the Psiioniic, the worry clearly etched on his face. "There's been more than a few times we've barely escaped."

She ran a hand down his hollow cheek in comfort. "I would never let anything happen to him." A sad smile was his response.

"Yes, mom we'll be FINE." The Signless looked a little exhausted as the Dolorosa trailed closely behind him, carefully brushing off his robes and fixing his hair this way and that. "Mother, I am a grown troll. Besides, I don't want anyone seeing us at all, I really don't think you should be worrying about my hair." He smiled at her.

"I will do what is best for you." She pats his cheek and he kisses hers. "Be safe, children."

"Yes, mother." The Signless responded as he turned away, taking hold of the Disciple's hand and descending down the side of the ship.

Soon they swam through the waters and were under the cover of the foliage and were out of sight completely. On the edge of the horizon, the sun began to rise slow and sturdy, the day making its way across the Alternian sky.


End file.
